Greater Idaho petitioners want rural Oregon counties to join the Gem State

ROSEBURG, Ore. - Voters in Douglas and Josephine county may be asked whether to leave the state of Oregon - and join Idaho instead.

Petition drives are in progress in both southern Oregon counties to put the question on the ballot.

If approved, the measures would direct the county governments to begin negotiations with Idaho to relocate its border to include counties in Oregon.

"State borders are typically relocated by an interstate compact between two state legislatures, when approved by Congress. The last time this process was followed was August 25, 1961, when the state border between Minnesota and North Dakota was relocated," according to a press release posted on the Move Oregon's Border for a Greater Idaho Facebook page.

Mike McCarter of La Pine is one of the proponents for the Greater Idaho movement.

“Rural counties have become increasingly outraged by laws coming out of the Oregon Legislature that threaten our livelihoods, our industries, our wallet, our gun rights, and our values," he said. "We tried voting those legislators out but rural Oregon is outnumbered and our voices are now ignored. This is our last resort.”

Fellow petitioner Valerie Gottschalk of Selma said efforts to recall Gov. Kate Brown suggest Greater Idaho has an audience in rural Oregon.

“I expect this movement to grow rapidly, having seen the response to the 'Recall Kate' petition circulated last year. People here would prefer Idaho's conservative governance to the progressive/liberal current Oregon governance," she said.. "Every time I look at the Facebook group Greater Idaho, the group has gotten bigger. And our Facebook poll got 84% in favor out of 1300 polled.”

According to their website, Greater Idaho seeks to move more than half of Oregon's counties to Idaho, including Baker, Coos, Crook, Curry, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler.

The proposal also seeks "that portion of Wasco County that is east of the Deschutes River, plus the City of Maupin"; "all of Jefferson County except Deschutes National Forest and Warm Springs Indian Reservation"; and "Terrebonne, Redmond, Alfalfa, southeastern Deschutes County, Three Rivers (east of Deschutes River), and La Pine."

In California, Greater Idaho seeks to obtain Del Norte, Siskiyou, Shasta, Tehama, Modoc and Lassen counties and "tiny portions of northern Butte and northern Plumas."