Greater Idaho movement reacts to Crook County voters’ approval of measure supporting move
PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) - On Tuesday, voters in Crook County passed measure 7-86, which asked voters if they support negotiations to move the Oregon/Idaho border to include Crook County in Idaho. The measure is passing with 53% of the vote, and makes Crook County the 13th county in eastern Oregon to pass a Greater Idaho measure.
Calls for action from leaders of the movement were swift, with Executive Director Matt McCaw issuing the following statement:
"The voters of eastern Oregon have spoken loudly and clearly about their desire to see border talks move forward. 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. We call on the Governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate President to sit down with us and discuss next steps towards changing governance for eastern Oregonians, as well as for the legislature to begin holding hearings on what a potential border change will look like."
President of the movement, Mike McCarter agreed. "For the last three years we've been going directly to voters and asking them what they want for their state government. What they're telling us through these votes is that they want their leaders to move the border. In our system, the people are the ones in charge, and it's time for the leaders representing them to follow through," he said.
The group also pointed out that they expected that results would have been even higher if not for an extensive "no" vote campaign funded by Portland groups. Last year in the Wallowa County vote, Portland groups outspent Greater Idaho over 4-1. The movement suspects the same was true this year, though it is impossible to know since the group funding the "no" effort has not reported their spending to the state, despite being required to by law.
The Greater Idaho movement seeks to move the border between Oregon and Idaho to include 14 full eastern Oregon counties and three partial ones. In addition to the 13 counties who have passed Greater Idaho measures, in 2023 the Idaho House passed a memorial inviting the Oregon Legislature to begin border talks.
Supporters of the movement believe that moving the border would benefit both sides of the state, and allow for better representation and governance for people moving forward. For more information and
uncopyrighted photos for media use, visit greateridaho.org.
