- 13 liberal Oregon counties support move to conservative Idaho
- Crook County was the last to approve Greater Idaho measures on Tuesday
- Its supporters want to escape progressive politics and high taxes.
Thirteen counties fed up with liberal Oregon have voted in favor of measures to begin negotiations to secede from the state and join conservative Idaho.
Crook County became the latest to approve the ‘Greater Idaho Measure’ following a vote Tuesday.
The proposal seeks to move Oregon’s border 200 miles west, meaning that 14 counties and several partial counties would fall under Idaho state lines.
Organizers behind the Greater Idaho movement say Eastern Oregonians are being alienated by the state’s progressive policies, which they blame for high crime rates.
They claim that moving to Idaho would allow residents to take advantage of lower taxes and provide better representation and governance.
More than a dozen fed-up liberal counties in eastern Oregon have voted in favor of measures to begin negotiations to secede from the state and join conservative Idaho.
“The Oregon/Idaho line was established 163 years ago and is now obsolete,” the movement’s website states.
‘It doesn’t make 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 will still have federal and Idaho regulations, and that is enough. Idaho knows how to respect rural counties and their livelihoods.’
Measure 7-86, as it was known, passed by 53 percent in Crook County in the latest push to the Greater Idaho campaign.
However, the vote is not legislatively binding and only means that residents are in favor of informing state and federal representatives that they support negotiations to annex part of Oregon.
“Eastern Oregon voters have spoken loud and clear about their desire to move border talks forward,” said Metropolitan Idaho Executive Director Matt McCaw.
‘With this latest result in Crook County, there is no excuse left for the Legislature and the Governor to continue ignoring the wishes of the people.
The proposal, pictured, seeks to move Oregon’s border 200 miles west, meaning 14 counties and several partial counties would fall under Idaho state lines.
Organizers behind the Greater Idaho movement say Eastern Oregonians are being alienated by the state’s progressive policies, which they blame for high crime rates.
‘We call on the Governor, House Speaker, and Senate President to sit down with us and discuss next steps to change governance for Eastern Oregonians, as well as for the legislature to begin hold hearings on what a possible border change will look like. .’
“For the last three years we have gone directly to voters and asked them what they want for their state government,” added President Mike Carter.
‘What they are telling us through these votes is that they want their leaders to move the border.
“In our system, the people are in charge, and it is time for the leaders who represent them to fulfill their mandate.”
The last time the Oregon state line was moved was in 1958, although it was a minor adjustment.
According NewsNationA recent poll found that people in Idaho also strongly support the proposal.
Similar plans have been proposed in other parts of the country, including Texas, where a state senator introduced a bill last year to allow a vote on Texit.
Crook County became the 13th to approve the Greater Idaho Measure following a vote Tuesday.
Within the state itself, the wealthy Austin enclave of Lost Creek, saw an overwhelming majority of 91 percent of residents vote to secede from the city during the May 4 election.
Meanwhile, several Illinois counties previously voted to move to another state and parts of Colorado have expressed interest in joining Wyoming.
Last year, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green tweeted that America needed a “divorce” between blue and red states.
