(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Thirteen counties in Oregon have voted to support measures to start negotiations to secede from the far-left state and join conservative Idaho.
Conservative Oregonians’ desire to secede from the state has been going on for many years. However, it seems that something could change after Crook County became the latest to approve the “Greater Idaho Measure” following a vote on May 21, 2024, the Daily Mail reported.
The proposal wants to move the Oregon border 200 miles to the west. That would mean that 14 counties and several partial counties would fall under Idaho state lines.
Organizers behind the Greater Idaho movement stated that conservative Oregonians who live in the east are being alienated by the state’s leftist policies which they blame for high crime rates.
Additionally, the organizers said that a move to Idaho would allow residents to take advantage of lower taxation and provide better representation and governance.
“[The Oregon/Idaho line] makes no sense in its current location because it doesn’t match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon. We want an economy that is not held back by Oregon regulations and taxes, including environmental regulations. We’ll still have federal and Idaho regulations, and that’s plenty. Idaho knows how to respect rural counties and their livelihoods,” the movement’s website said.
The news source reported that the vote is not legislatively binding and just means residents want to inform the state and federal representatives that they support negotiations to annex part of Oregon.
“The voters of eastern Oregon have spoken loudly and clearly about their desire to see border talks move forward. With this latest result in Crook County, there’s no excuse left for the Legislature and Governor to continue to ignore the people’s wishes,” Greater Idaho Executive Director Matt McCaw said.
The organization’s president Mike McCarter then urged “the Governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate President to sit down with [them] and discuss the next steps towards changing governance for eastern Oregonians, as well as for the legislature to begin holding hearings on what a potential border change will look like.”
“For the last three years, we’ve been going directly to voters and asking them what they want for their state government. What they’re telling us through these votes is that they want their leaders to move the border. In our system, the people are the ones in charge, and it’s time for the leaders representing them to follow through,” President Mike McCarter said.
