A handful of Oregon counties voted to approve measures that would initiate the process of seceding to Idaho.
Voters in five counties (Baker, Grant, Lake, Malheur, and Sherman) approved measures Tuesday that would require local officials promote seceding to Idaho. All of the counties are predominantly conservative despite Oregon’s overwhelming liberal population.
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The local initiatives were supported by Citizens for Greater Idaho, a group that advocates for the state lines to be redrawn, according to the Idaho Statesman.
“This election proves that rural Oregon wants out of Oregon. If Oregon really believes in liberal values such as self-determination, the Legislature won’t hold our counties captive against our will,” said Mike McCarter, president of Citizens for Greater Idaho, in a statement. “If we’re allowed to vote for which government officials we want, we should be allowed to vote for which government we want as well.”
Citizens for Greater Idaho is hoping the state consumes all but 14 of Oregon’s 36 counties.
The initiative passed in Sherman County calls on county commissioners to promote “the interests of the County in the relocation of Idaho state borders,” while the other four counties voted for one that requires county commissioners to meet periodically to “discuss how to promote the interests of [the county] in any negotiations regarding relocations of Idaho state borders.”
Two other counties voted in favor of the measure during the November 2020 election.
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The idea of getting state lines redrawn would require both the Idaho and Oregon state legislatures as well as Congress to approve of the transition.
“They’re looking at Idaho fondly because of our regulatory atmosphere, our values,” Republican Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in February of the movement. “It doesn’t surprise me one bit.”
During the 2020 presidential election, residents in Oregon gave President Joe Biden 56% of the vote compared to 40% for former President Donald Trump, but in those five districts, Trump had a 10-point advantage.
