Greater Idaho movement

The Greater Idaho movement is a conservative activist effort in the US for counties east of the Oregon Cascades to secede from the state of Oregon and join Idaho. Even if approved locally by voters via ballot measures, it would still need approval from both state legislatures and Congress.[1][2][3][4][5]

As of June 2023, twelve counties in Oregon (shown in red) had approved ballot measures in favor of Greater Idaho.

Background and rationale

Eastern Oregon is relatively rural and conservative, compared to more heavily populated moderate to liberal western urban areas which have a majority in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Idaho is relatively conservative overall compared to Oregon, motivating some conservatives in eastern Oregon to agitate for relocating the border.[6] Oregon governor Tina Kotek acknowledged the movement in 2023 saying, "I think there are a lot of Oregonians who are frustrated and don’t feel heard. That, I think, is what the movement is about."[7]

A number of state laws differ dramatically between Oregon and Idaho.[8] The drug policy of Oregon is among the most permissive in the nation, including the legalization of recreational marijuana and decriminalization of personal possession of all illicit drugs. The Idaho state legislature opposes the rise of marijuana dispensaries in eastern Oregon serving customers from the Boise metro area; by moving the border further west it could increase the travel time to the nearest dispensaries (currently about an hour).[6] In addition to changes in tax policy and minimum wages, abortion access is also starkly different between the two states, with Idaho having a total ban on abortion while Oregon imposes no legal restrictions.

History

In 2020, the group called "Move Oregon's Border for a Greater Idaho" proposed breaking off most of Oregon's area and some of Northern California and join it with Idaho. In 2021, five counties in eastern Oregon voted to "require county officials to take steps to promote" adding the counties to Idaho.[9]

As of June 2023, twelve counties in Oregon had approved ballot measures in favor of Greater Idaho: Baker, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler.[10][11]

In May 2022, voters in Douglas and Josephine counties rejected proposals to join, causing the proponents to scale back the scope of the proposal and issue a "less ambitious" map that excludes Southern Oregon west of Klamath County. The reduced scope includes only Oregon’s eastern territory save for small portions of Deschutes and Wasco counties. The latest map only covers about one third of the originally targeted areas. The majority of the remaining inhabitants live in Umatilla County, which is home to Hermiston and Pendleton, the two largest cities in the region. As of May 2023, Umatilla County has not shown enough interest to place the issue on the ballot.

In February 2023, the House State Affairs committee of the Idaho House of Representatives approved a resolution to authorize the legislature to discuss moving the state border with Oregon lawmakers.[12] This was subsequently passed by the House.[13] A similar bill was introduced in the Oregon State Senate, but Senate President Rob Wagner stated that it was unlikely the bill would move forward in the 2023 session.[14] In May 2023, Wallowa County approved a ballot measure in favor of Greater Idaho by just seven votes.[15][16]

As of September 2023, Crook County, Umatilla County, and Gilliam County had yet to entertain the concept on the ballot.[17]

See also

References
  1. "Some Oregonians Want To Leave And Take Part Of The State To Idaho With Them". NPR. Washington, D.C. February 24, 2020. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  2. "Ballot-initiative effort to move eastern Oregon counties to Idaho gains momentum; leader calls it 'peaceful revolution'". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. February 17, 2020. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  3. Merzbach, Hanna (November 9, 2020). "Movement to form 'Greater Idaho' gains steam as two rural Oregon counties vote to consider joining Idaho". KGW8 News. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  4. Sahakian, Teny (2020-11-18). "Rural Oregon counties vote to discuss seceding from state to join 'Greater Idaho'". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  5. "Idaho lawmakers hear pitch to absorb three-fourths of Oregon". The Oregonian. Associated Press. April 12, 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  6. Kirk Siegler (April 1, 2023). "State line pot shops latest flashpoint in Idaho-Oregon border debate". NPR.
  7. "Proposed 'Greater Idaho' movement would consume 3 of Oregon's 7 Wonders". KOIN.com. 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  8. Clark Corbin, Idaho Capital Sun (2023-02-16). "Greater Idaho resolution passes Idaho House; calls for talks with Oregon over moving border". oregonlive. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  9. Oregonian/OregonLive, Douglas Perry | The (2021-05-19). "More Oregon counties vote to consider joining Idaho, part of rural effort to 'gain political refuge from blue states'". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  10. Sierra, Antonio (9 November 2022). "Greater Idaho ballot measures pass in two more Oregon counties". OPB. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  11. https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/23/greater-idaho-movement-scales-back-plan-for-oregon-annexation/ "The May 17 losses caused leaders to issue the “less ambitious” map as part of what they called "phase 1" of their project. The reduced scope includes only 15 counties representing roughly 386,000 Oregonians, a little more than a third of the original map’s 900,000 in population. According to backers, the area outlines 64% of Oregon’s landmass but just 9% of its population."
  12. "Greater Idaho push moves to House floor". Boise State Public Radio. 2023-02-13. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  13. Corbin, Clark (15 February 2023). "Idaho House passes nonbinding measure calling for formal 'Greater Idaho' talks". Idaho Capital Sun. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  14. "Idaho passes bill to discuss Greater Idaho border relocation". KOIN.com. 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  15. Oregonian/OregonLive, Lisa Moreno | The (2023-05-19). "7 votes divide Wallowa County on Greater Idaho measure". oregonlive. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  16. Kornick, Lindsay | The (2023-06-18). "Wallowa County became the 12th Oregon county to join the "Greater Idaho" movement when special election results on the measure were finalized Tuesday". Foxnew.com. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  17. Vasilogambros, Matt (2023-09-06). "An eastern Oregon effort to join Idaho reflects the growing American divide". Washington State Standard. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
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