Idaho Could Get Huge, Greater Idaho Initiative Wins Votes

It seems like everyone wants to be an Idahoan. People are moving here like crazy so much that Idaho is the second largest moved to state in the US according to the 2020 Census. Now even people that cant geologically move here want to be Idahoans. There are five rural counties in Oregon who don't follow or want to be delegated by such a blue state. They essentially have been fighting to have the states boarders changed so a huge chunk of Oregon and even some of northern California becomes "Greater Idaho." It would make Idaho huge.

While this seems like it may be a far stretch the initiative is making some headway. According to the Washington Post the five counties all voted this week in favor of leaving state for more conservative Idaho.  Voters in Baker, Grant, Lake, Malheur and Sherman counties approved ballot measures that require local officials to consider redrawing the border to make them Idahoans.

There is even a massive non profit involved called Citizens for Greater Idaho. Being more rural and very conservatives they strongly believe that Idaho will better serve them. The group’s president, Mike McCarter, says the expanded state he envisions would become the country’s third-largest in terms of landmass behind Alaska and Texas.

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“This election proves that rural Oregon wants out of Oregon,” McCarter said in a statement. “If we’re allowed to vote for which government officials we want, we should be allowed to vote for which government we want as well.”

There are still a lot of hoops to jump through and even if Oregon and Idaho lawmakers go along with it, Congress would also have to sign off on the move. There are a mix of Idaho lawmakers both in support and against it. Idaho State Rep. Barbara Ehardt is for it and Govenor Brad Little didn't say clearly one way or another but did say he understood why the counties in Oregon would want it. Rep. Lauren Necochea, of Boise, and State Sen. Melissa Wintrow, have spoken against the idea.