(Patriot.Buzz) – Fed up with the socially and economically damaging liberal agenda, Crook County in eastern Oregon voted to leave the Democrat-led state and merge with neighboring Idaho.
This decision by a 53% majority marks the 13th county in Oregon to support the initiative known as “Greater Idaho.”
“The voters of eastern Oregon have spoken loudly and clearly about their desire to see border talks move forward,” commented Matt McCaw, the executive director of the Greater Idaho movement.
“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,” he added.
This movement proposes shifting more than half of Oregon’s territory to Republican-controlled Idaho, moving Idaho’s border 200 miles west into central Oregon.
The concept of Greater Idaho gained momentum in 2020, with 11 of Oregon’s 36 counties backing the proposal by 2022.
The driving force behind this push is a stark political divide between the rural, conservative interior of Oregon and its more liberal, densely populated coastal cities such as Portland and Salem.
If achieved, Greater Idaho would mean Oregon would give up two-thirds of its land while only losing about 10% of its population, reflecting the sparse population of its interior regions.
Supporters of the movement argue that the “Oregon/Idaho line was established 163 years ago and is now outdated.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 Greater Idaho plan involves 17 counties, encompassing 14 entire counties and portions of three others.
However, even with sufficient local support, the path to secession involves significant bureaucratic obstacles.
The proposal must be approved by both the Oregon and Idaho state legislatures and the U.S. Congress.
Redrawing state borders is a rare occurrence in American history, with the last significant change being Maine’s separation from Massachusetts in 1820, so the proposed shift of a large portion of Oregon’s territory to Idaho would be unprecedented in modern times.
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