(NewsNation) — Tens of thousands of conservative residents in Oregon are so frustrated with their liberal neighbors that they no longer want to share a state with them, let alone a zip code.
Conflicting views on crime and social policies have created a large divide between the bigger cities and rural areas, sparking efforts to secede. Among the largest pushes across the country, counties in eastern and portions of central Oregon are looking to be annexed by Idaho as a part of the “Greater Idaho” movement.
The group seeks to shift the Oregon’s eastern border 200 miles west, making room for Idaho to grow and absorb their conservative neighbors. The secession effort would bring together the conservative farming and ranching communities of eastern Oregon and western Idaho.
Voters in a dozen counties in eastern Oregon have already approved ballot measures telling local leaders they support the plan, and voters in Crook County and the county seat of Prineville are voting on the plan Tuesday.
The ballot measure in Crook County asks: “Should Crook County represent that its citizens support efforts to move the Idaho state border to include Crook County?”
“The Oregon/Idaho line was established 163 years ago and is now outdated. It makes no sense in its current location because it doesn’t match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon,” the movement said on its website.
A 2023 study by a Colby College professor found that more than 25% of Americans support some sort of secession by states, and nearly 25% agreed it “makes sense to split the country up.”
Plus, a recent poll showed those in Idaho are strongly in favor of the proposal. But historically, initiatives like these don’t get much traction.
NewsNation’s Devan Markham contributed to this report.
