Will Conservative Oregon Counties Join Idaho?

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Thirteen counties in Oregon have voted to secede from the state and to join Idaho. Bethan Sexton reports for the Daily Mail:

Thirteen fed-up counties in liberal Oregon have voted in support of measures to start negotiations to secede from the state and join conservative Idaho.

Crook County became the latest to approve the ‘Greater Idaho Measure’ following a vote on Tuesday.

The proposal seeks to move the Oregon border 200 miles to the west, meaning that 14 counties and several partial counties would fall under Idaho state lines.

Organizers behind the Greater Idaho movement say east Oregonians are being alienated by the state’s progressive policies which they blame for high crime rates.

They claim a move to Idaho would allow residents to take advantage of lower taxation and provide better representation and governance.

‘The Oregon/Idaho line was established 163 years ago and is now outdated,’ the movement’s website states.

‘It makes no sense in its current location because it doesn’t match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon.

‘We want an economy that is not held back by Oregon regulations and taxes, including environmental regulations.

‘We’ll still have federal and Idaho regulations, and that’s plenty. Idaho knows how to respect rural counties and their livelihoods.’

Measure 7-86, as it was known, passed by 53 percent in Crook County in the latest boost to the Greater Idaho campaign.

However, the vote is not legislatively binding and just means residents are in favor of informing state and federal representatives that they support negotiations to annex part of Oregon.

‘The voters of eastern Oregon have spoken loudly and clearly about their desire to see border talks move forward,’ Greater Idaho Executive Director Matt McCaw said.

‘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.

Read more here.