Thirteen counties in Oregon have voted in favor of measures to begin negotiations on seceding from the state and joining neighboring Idaho.

The latest county to endorse the initiative was Crook County, where voters approved the “Greater Idaho Measure” on Tuesday. The proposal aims to move Oregon’s border approximately 200 miles to the west, which would place 14 counties and several partial counties under Idaho’s jurisdiction.

“The Oregon/Idaho line was established 163 years ago and is now outdated,” the movement’s website says. “It makes no sense in its current location because it doesn’t match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon.”

The organizers of the Greater Idaho movement argue that residents in eastern Oregon feel increasingly alienated by the state’s progressive policies, which they say contribute to high crime rates. Their website says becoming part of Idaho would offer lower taxes and improved representation and governance for the communities.

“We want an economy that is not held back by Oregon regulations and taxes, including environmental regulations,” Greater Idaho executive director Matt McCaw, said, according to the Daily Mail. “We’ll still have federal and Idaho regulations, and that’s plenty. Idaho knows how to respect rural counties and their livelihoods.”

Archive

  • @echo
    link
    English
    567 months ago

    Then move to Idaho you stupid jerks.

    • Drusas
      link
      fedilink
      477 months ago

      Then they wouldn’t be able to graze their cattle for free on Oregon’s public land.

      • body_by_make
        link
        fedilink
        English
        137 months ago

        But if they merge into Idaho, the same laws would apply there…

        • Drusas
          link
          fedilink
          77 months ago

          Right, but the comment I replied to was about the individuals moving to Idaho. Then they would lose access to that Oregonian land.