The purpose of this ballot question is to send a signal to the state legislature to begin talks, although it cannot move a state line by itself.
State lines can be moved:
The Oregon/Washington border was moved slightly in 1958. The current location of the Oregon/Idaho border was decided by people who never visited the Pacific Northwest, before the area was settled.
The Greater Idaho movement won elections in 2020, 2021, and 2022 in eleven counties of eastern Oregon.
The Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill in favor of the movement in February 2023.
Vote YES to send a message to state legislatures to look into the possibility of moving the Oregon/Idaho border to include eastern Oregon into Idaho. If the Oregon and Idaho Legislatures eventually sign a deal on the details of how transferring counties to Idaho will be handled, they will most likely give the area affected a chance to approve or veto the deal in another vote. Such a deal would grandfather-in state licenses and PERS, assign certain Oregon state property to Idaho, etc. Idaho allows counties to control the subdivision of property.
Best Option:
We would welcome the creation of a new state, or kicking Portland out of this state, but that would add two Republicans to the US Senate. That means that Democrats in the Oregon Legislature and Congress would never allow it. Even if they become a minority sometime, they could still walk out of the Legislature to stop it. They are more likely to let us join Idaho. A SurveyUSA poll of northwestern Oregonian voters found support for that in January 2022.
“I do not blame people for saying ‘lets go someplace where A) we are listened to, B) we’re understood, and C) people aren’t trying to take stuff away from us.’” Rep. Cliff Bentz, July 2021.
Ranking sources: Tax Burden, Cost of Living, Unemployment Rate, Regulatory Freedom, Test Scores (click on 8th grade), Crime Rates, Gun Owners
Joining Idaho is the way to keep Portland politics out of eastern Oregon
Idaho doesn’t have a homelessness problem; Oregon’s keeps growing. Idaho doesn’t restrict the building of new homes.
We’d save money being a part of Idaho. Combining all taxes together, the average Idahoan paid $1722 less in taxes in 2019 than the average Oregonian. That’s averaging together every adult or child.
Oregon has the lowest number of hospital beds per capita in the country.
Northwestern Oregon has 79% of Oregon’s voters. Oregon’s governor and legislature don’t need any votes from eastern Oregon to rule Oregon. This has led to a ruling party that ignores eastern Oregon because none of our legislators are in the ruling party. That’s why Oregon passes laws that kill eastern Oregon industries and values.
But in Idaho, our representatives would be part of the majority. 80% of the Idaho legislature is Republican, and mostly rural. That hasn’t changed in decades, because recent arrivals are about as conservative as other Idahoans.
Oregon hasn’t elected a Republican governor in 40 years. Oregon gerrymandered legislative districts for 2022-2032 to help Democrats, so Democrats will be in control in 2032 to gerrymander districts for another decade.
Portland politicians are “reinventing” Oregon’s society and our economy, but they don’t understand how we make a living. In January, state government began restricting the amount of fossil fuels allowed in Oregon, on a schedule to reduce the amount by 90%. Oregon bureaucrats imposed carbon cap & trade last year, which will increase the cost of energy dramatically in upcoming years. This will force Oregonians to make a living as white-collar workers or as dependents. That’s not the Oregon I know. Our businesses won’t survive if regulations make them unable to compete with other states’ businesses.
Idaho’s low taxes and light regulation would cause local industry to boom here. Idaho’s governor said about our movement, “They’re looking at Idaho fondly because of our regulatory atmosphere, our values. That doesn’t surprise me one bit… I understand the frustration of some of my Oregon friends about the rules, the laws, the regulations that are coming out of Oregon.” Fox News, 2020.
Oregon hasn’t gotten gotten control of predators that prey on our livestock, and it hasn’t managed forests to reduce the risk of wildfire.
Rural Oregon is in a bad relationship with Willamette Valley. Their politicians who won’t stand up to the never-ending series of radical social experiments such as defunding the police and letting rioters and arsonists run wild. Thousands of hardened state prisoners were released early from state prison recently because of Portland politicians’ warped morality. But they infringe on your 2nd Amendment right to defend your family.
Oregon’s state school curriculum teaches radical theories on race, gender, sexuality, and anti-Americanism. Oregon limits charter schools, homeschooling, and local control. Idaho’s COVID mandates were only statewide for a few weeks, not two years. Oregon spends more on schools but gets much worse results according to school test scores.
We’re not leaving Oregon; northwestern Oregon left us. Vote YES to preserve old Oregon as a part of Idaho. And tell your fellow voters!
Vote YES in Wallowa County May 2023!
Use this website to learn more about the movement, then TAKE ACTION to help make it happen. We answer common questions in our FAQ
