Oregon Counties Vote to Join Idaho

After a 53.5 percent vote margin, Crook County in Oregon has become the 13th county to accept a proposal to secede from Oregon and join the state of Idaho.

The vote came thanks to the efforts of what is now known as the “Greater Idaho” project.

The “Greater Idaho” project seeks to partition a large part of conservative leaning counties in Oregon and add them to the state of Idaho. Due to the western part of Oregon being so heavily dominated by large cities like Salem and Portland which are politically and culturally left, many in the eastern and more central parts of the state are working to secede entirely.

As of today, 13 counties have approved plans to shift the state lines and join “greater Idaho” with others potentially joining soon. These counties are: Wallowa, Union, Baker, Malheur, Grant, Harney, Morrow, Wheeler, Crook, Lake, Sherman, Jefferson and Klamath.

Once the two additional counties of Gilliam and Umatilla have joined the movement for secession, two-thirds of what is now the state of Oregon will have voted in favor of splitting.

Citizens for Greater Idaho executive director Matt McCaw stated:

“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.”

“If the United States were governed as a single state, we wouldn’t have the opportunity for state governance to vary according to the culture of a local area. The purpose of having state lines is to allow this variance,” the Citizens for Greater Idaho website reads.

“The Oregon/Idaho line was established 163 years ago and is now outdated. It makes no sense in its current location because it doesn’t match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon. The Oregon/Washington line was updated in 1958. It’s time to move other state lines.”

If the project is successful, there would be a 10 percent loss in Oregon’s population and two-thirds of its land would also be usurped by Idaho.

In order for the proposal of secession to move forward, various formal processes would have to take place first. Both Oregon and Idaho’s state legislatures would have to approve of the proposal and then Congress would also have to approve of the boundary changes.

Opposition to Oregon counties joining Idaho hasn’t been as intense as some may think. There is one group in particular, however, who has adamantly stood opposed – Western States Strategies. This group is the political branch of Western States Center, a Portland-based nonprofit.

Jill Garvey, the nonprofit’s chief of staff, tried to link the project and its members to being “white nationalists” despite zero evidence being provided.

“What we’re doing is just pulling back the curtain. Nothing else. These are how these organizations are connected. We’re naming what we believe their real goals are,” Garvey said.

Has secession in the U.S. happened before? Yes, state lines have moved multiple times in the U.S. and the Oregon-Washington border has even shifted as recently as 1958!

Governor of Oregon, Tina Kotek, has said she “wants to heal the relationship with rural Oregonians so that they feel heard.”

Many issues facing decision makers on this subject, as presented to them by those involved in the “Greater Idaho” project, revolve around spending and differences in values.

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