Greater Idaho movement

The Greater Idaho movement is a conservative effort in the United States for counties east of the Oregon Cascades, to secede from the state of Oregon and join Idaho. If approved locally by voters via ballot measures, it would need approval from the state legislatures of both Oregon and Idaho, as well as the federal Congress.

As of July 2024, thirteen counties in Oregon had approved ballot measures in favor of Greater Idaho: Baker, Crook, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler.

Background and rationale
Eastern Oregon is relatively rural and conservative, compared to the more heavily populated and politically liberal western Oregon. Those same western urban areas have a majority in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Idaho is largely conservative compared to Oregon, motivating some conservatives in eastern Oregon to advocate for relocating the border. Oregon governor Tina Kotek acknowledged the movement in 2023 saying, "I think there are a lot of Oregonians who are frustrated and don’t feel heard. That, I think, is what the movement is about."

Per Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution:"New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress."

A number of state laws differ dramatically between Oregon and Idaho. Abortion access is starkly different, with Idaho banning nearly all abortions while Oregon imposes no legal restrictions. Tax policy is different, as Idaho charges a 6% sales tax, while Oregon does not impose a state sales tax. Minimum wage differs between the two states, too. Drug laws differ, as like most of the West, Oregon has legalized recreational marijuana, while Idaho still criminalizes possession. The Idaho state legislature opposes the rise of marijuana dispensaries in eastern Oregon serving customers from the Boise metro area; by moving the border further west, it would increase the travel time to the nearest dispensaries.

Timeline
In 2020, the group called "Move Oregon's Border for a Greater Idaho" proposed breaking off most of Oregon's area and some of Northern California and join it with Idaho. In 2021, five counties in eastern Oregon voted to "require county officials to take steps to promote" adding the counties to Idaho. As of May 2024, thirteen counties in Oregon had approved ballot measures in favor of Greater Idaho: Baker, Crook, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler.

In May 2022, voters in Douglas and Josephine counties rejected proposals to join, causing the proponents to scale back the scope of the proposal and issue a "less ambitious" map that excludes Southern Oregon west of Klamath County. The reduced scope includes only Oregon’s eastern territory save for small portions of Deschutes and Wasco counties. The latest map only covers about one third of the originally targeted areas. The majority of the remaining inhabitants live in Umatilla County, which is home to Hermiston and Pendleton, the two largest cities in the region. As of May 2023, Umatilla County has not shown enough interest to place the issue on the ballot.

In February 2023, the House State Affairs committee of the Idaho House of Representatives approved a resolution to authorize the legislature to discuss moving the state border with Oregon lawmakers. This was subsequently passed by the Idaho House of Representatives. A similar bill was introduced in the Oregon State Senate; Senate President Rob Wagner stated that it was unlikely that the bill would move forward in the 2023 session. In May 2023, Wallowa County approved a ballot measure in favor of Greater Idaho by just seven votes.

As of February 2024, Gilliam County and Umatilla County have yet to entertain the concept on the ballot.

On May 21, 2024, Crook County voted in favor of Measure 7-86 advising the Crook County Court that voters supported continued negotiations regarding relocating the Oregon-Idaho border to include Crook County within the Idaho border. This makes it the 13th county in Oregon that has passed a similar ballot measure resulting in the majority of Counties in the proposed Greater Idaho map having voted in favor. That same election cycle, Dennis Linthicum, the Oregon state senator who introduced the 2023 bill in the Oregon Legislature, became the Republican nominee for Oregon Secretary of State.