Greater Idaho movement
The Greater Idaho Movement, initiated in 2020, seeks to transfer certain rural counties in Oregon and Northern California into the state of Idaho. Advocated primarily by conservative groups, the movement aims to address perceived political misalignments and a desire for greater representation in state government. The proposal includes two phases: the first involves adding eighteen southeastern Oregon counties and three partial counties, while the second phase aims to incorporate five northeastern California counties. Proponents argue that Idaho's values, lower tax burden, and less regulation align more closely with those of rural residents, who feel marginalized by Oregon's governance.
Despite some support, as shown in a 2021 poll where 38% of Oregonians expressed agreement with the movement, there are significant reservations, with 42% opposing it. Voter support in specific eastern Oregon counties reflects a conservative inclination, matching Idaho's political landscape. Historically, similar territorial adjustments have occurred in the U.S., but the Greater Idaho Movement is distinctive in that it seeks to reassign existing counties rather than create a new state. The movement echoes earlier efforts, like the State of Jefferson initiative, which arose from similar sentiments of underrepresentation in large states.
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Greater Idaho movement
As first proposed in 2020, the Greater Idaho Movement called for some rural counties in Oregon and Northern California to become part of Idaho. The organizations Citizens for Greater Idaho and Move Oregon’s Border were to assist with the movement. The bulk of support for the Greater Idaho Movement comes from conservatives who believe their political agendas would be better met if their county was part of Idaho. The movement would take place in two phases. During the first phase, organizers planned to add eighteen Southeastern Oregon counties and three partial counties to the state of Idaho. During the second phase, five Northeastern California counties would be moved to Idaho. For action to be taken, the proposal requires approval from all involved state legislatures and the US Congress. After a setback in Oregon’s 2022 mid-term elections, proponents of the plan decided to focus only on the eastern half of the state. In 2024, the movement sent a letter to then president-elect Donald Trump to seek his support in moving the border.
Background
The region that became the Northwestern United States was jointly claimed by both Great Britain and the United States in the early nineteenth century. The two nations competed for the region’s fur trade during the 1820s and 1830s. The Americans established a colony near the Willamette River in 1834, and soon, the colony began attracting more settlers. During the next two decades, more than fifty thousand people moved to the region, with most following the 2,000-mile (3,219 kilometers) Oregon Trail that began in Missouri.
In 1846, the United States and Great Britain settled their dispute by agreeing to divide the region at the forty-ninth parallel, which became the modern border with Canada. The US side of the line became the Oregon Territory, which included Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. In 1859, the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Oregon. Idaho was admitted in 1890.
Overview
The Greater Idaho movement lists six reasons why counties in other states would want to become part of Idaho. According to the organization’s website, organizers claim:
- Oregon does not protect American values and freedoms.
- More focus on law and order would be present in Idaho.
- Idaho has the eighth-smallest tax burden, while Oregon has the thirty-third.
- Idaho protects residents’ homes from wildfires.
- Idaho has less regulation than any other state and fosters low employment and a lower cost of living.
- Concerns about representation in the state Legislature would provide more opportunities for the people’s concerns to be heard.
According to a poll by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center in 2021, 42 percent of Oregonians disagree with the Greater Idaho Movement while 38 percent agree. Twenty percent of respondents said they were unsure.
As of May 2024, voters in the Oregon counties of Baker, Crook, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Union, Wheeler, and Wallowa voted in support of the movement. Two counties, Douglas and Josephine, narrowly voted against it. Douglas county’s tally was 57 percent to 43 percent, while Josephine’s was 54.5 percent to 45.5 percent. After the May 2022 mid-elections, supporters of the movement scaled back its phase one to include only the addition of eastern Oregon. Those in eastern Oregon voted are mostly conservatively, which aligns their view closely with those in Idaho. During the 2020 presidential election, eastern Oregon voted 70.3 percent Republican, and Idaho voted 63.9 percent Republican. In the 2024 election, eastern Oregon voted overwhelmingly Republican. In Idaho 66.9 percent of voters voted Republican.
Experts believe that the plan to annex several Oregon counties to Idaho is unlikely to happen. However, similar feats have taken place in the past. For example, the Territory of Dakota was carved into North Dakota and South Dakota in 1889. West Virginia was a part of Virginia until it separated over the issue of seceding from the Union. Maine became a state in 1820 after voting to separate from Massachusetts. Kentucky was once part of Virginia but broke off and formed a state in 1792.
The Greater Idaho Movement differs from these events, however, because a new state is not being formed. Instead, parts of the state of Oregon wants to break away and join another state, Idaho. Organizers of the movement claim that Idaho’s values more closely align with those of rural Oregon. They also want to be better represented in the state legislature.
This is not the first time that rural Oregon has considered changing its borders. Efforts for a state of Jefferson, named after Thomas Jefferson, began in 1941 when ranchers, miners, and loggers on the California-Oregon border protested and claimed themselves inhabitants of Oregon. The land area of Jefferson was to be the rural areas of northern California and southern Oregon—an area a bit smaller than the state of West Virginia. The organizers were so serious about this effort that the “ghost state” has its own flag and seal.
The reasoning behind the state of Jefferson is not much different than that of the Greater Idaho Movement. Back then, people who lived in the rural areas of those large states did not feel that they were being adequately represented in state government. However, just before the vote on making Jefferson a state was about to occur, Pearl Harbor was attacked, and the country’s focus turned to World War II.
Bibliography
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“The ‘Ghost’ State of Jefferson: All You Need to Know about the State You Didn’t Know About.” Ancestral Findings, 2022, ancestralfindings.com/the-ghost-state-of-jefferson-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-state-you-didnt-know-about/. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.
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“Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho.” Greater Idaho.org, www.greateridaho.org/. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.
“The Oregon Territory, 1846.” Office of the Historian, history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/oregon-territory. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.
Shumway, Julia. “After Election Day Defeats, ‘Greater Idaho’ Backers Done Trying to Reach the Oregon Coast.” Idaho Capital Sun, 24 May 2022, idahocapitalsun.com/2022/05/24/after-election-day-defeats-greater-idaho-backers-done-trying-to-reach-oregon-coast/. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.
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Vlamis, Kelsey. “The Rural Oregon Counties That Want to Hitch Their Wagons to Conservative Idaho? Experts Say It’s a Long Shot, but Far from Impossible.” Business Insider, 7 June 2021, www.businessinsider.com/greater-idaho-move-oregon-counties-to-idaho-is-unlikely-2021-6. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.