Small potatoes: Oregon county backs away from Greater Idaho fantasy

The movement insists it’s undeterred, which is exactly what movements with no viable path forward tend to say.

Turns out “becoming Idaho” gets less exciting once someone mentions wages, infrastructure, and math.

The long-running dream of peeling conservative chunks off Oregon and gluing them onto Idaho just lost a little starch, as Wallowa County voters decided they were done entertaining the Greater Idaho fantasy and its twice-yearly ritual of pretending county commissioners can redraw state lines.

The vote overturns a 2023 measure that supported the so-called “Greater Idaho movement.” The measure three years ago passed by seven votes.

Wallowa is the only Oregon county of the 13 that have voted to consider switching to Idaho to later overturn the effort.

The county initiatives passed in support of Greater Idaho are largely symbolic. Counties do not have the authority to leave the state. Relocating the border would require approval from both the Idaho and Oregon legislatures, as well as the U.S. Congress, all of which are highly unlikely to ever occur.

Oregon Live

The movement insists it’s undeterred, which is exactly what movements with no viable path forward tend to say.