Developing: 13 Conservative Counties in Progressive Oregon Approve Measure for Secession

In some states across the nation, the urban-rural split manifests in a dramatic political divide: A couple of large cities overwhelmingly dominate statewide elections and policies, often overshadowing the preferences of the rest of the state.

In Oregon, the state’s two largest cities, Portland and Eugene, along with their surrounding metro areas, are considered among the most liberal in the country. The policy preferences of these urban progressive voters essentially dictate Oregon’s statewide positions.

However, travel outside of those population centers into rural eastern Oregon, and you’ll find communities with far more conservative values, leaning largely Republican.

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Now, tired of not being represented by their state, 13 counties in Oregon have voted to start talks about secession from Oregon to join the neighboring conservative state of Idaho in a measure called the “Greater Idaho” proposal.

Should counties in states be able to secede and join another state closer to their ideology?

The plan calls for moving the Oregon-Idaho border roughly 200 miles westward, which would transfer around 14 entire counties and portions of several others from Oregon into Idaho, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.

Supporters argue this would better align the region politically and culturally with the more conservative values of Idaho, which enjoys lower taxes, fewer gun restrictions and higher value for life, versus the progressive policies coming out of the liberal cities dominating Oregon politics, according to the New York Times.

A Republican has not been elected Oregon governor in four decades. Environmental regulations have constrained industries like timber, crucial to eastern economies, the New York Times reported.

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Biden Boasted He’d Unite the Country, But Americans Are Now Openly Supporting Secession

“The voters of eastern Oregon have spoken loudly and clearly about their desire to see border talks move forward,” the website for the movement claims. “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.”

 

While the county vote results are not legislatively binding, organizers said they demonstrate the clear will of residents and increase pressure on state leaders to begin negotiations on redrawing borders.

Greater Idaho Executive Director Matt McCaw said, “The voters of eastern Oregon have spoken loudly and clearly about their desire to see border talks move forward,” the Daily Mail reported.

Opponents argue redrawing state maps would create a logistical nightmare and is unconstitutional without consent from Congress. But the Oregon/Idaho border has shifted before, with the last adjustment happening in 1958.

This is not the only instance where rural counties, tired of being controlled by big city policies, have opened conversations about secession.

Similar secession efforts have emerged in other parts of the country, including in Illinois counties and a proposal last year for Texas to vote on “Texit” — a measure designed to leave the United States entirely.

The Founders believed that there should be “no taxation without representation,” protesting policies made by a government that did not represent their values or give them a voice in shaping their own destiny.

On a smaller scale, pockets of such unrest are rising up within the country as the rural-urban divide intensifies.

Whether or not this particular secession comes to fruition, the seeds have been sown and are beginning to slowly take root.

Barring a revival or some unforeseen drastic change, these rifts will continue to grow. One wonders whether the map of America we see today will be the same one our grandchildren will inherit.


A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

 

I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.” 

 

That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.

 

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Can we count on your support? It may not seem like much, but a Western Journal Membership can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. 

 

A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.

 

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Sincerely,

Josh Manning

Deputy Managing Editor

The Western Journal



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