Fourteen eastern Oregon counties have voted to indicate their support for moving the state border, which would turn close to 400,000 Oregonians into Idahoans and give Idaho control of almost two-thirds of Oregon鈥檚 land. Crook County is scheduled to vote on a measure during the May 21 primary election.
The county votes don鈥檛 do anything to change the Oregon-Idaho boundary 鈥� that would require action from both state legislatures and Congress. But they do indicate a deep divide between many rural residents in conservative eastern Oregon and Oregonians in the state鈥檚 economic and population hubs in urban Portland and the Willamette Valley.
Letters sent this week by Wallowa County commissioners to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Idaho Gov. Brad Little and the legislatures of both states are an attempt to push the conversation forward at the state level. Idaho lawmakers last year calling for formal talks between the two states, but a proposed by Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Beatty, went unheard in Oregon鈥檚 2023 session.
Wallowa County Commissioners Susan Roberts, Todd Nash and John Hillock wrote that they wanted the state legislatures to begin discussing changing the state border 鈥渁s soon as feasible.鈥�
鈥淲e, as the governing body of Wallowa County, neither support nor oppose the measure but only represent the will of the voters of Wallowa County,鈥� they wrote.
Kotek spokeswoman Elisabeth Shepard told the Capital Chronicle the governor鈥檚 office hasn鈥檛 yet received the letter. Kotek spent much of last year visiting every county on her One Oregon tour, speaking with constituents in an effort to learn more about issues facing the state and connect with people working on education, housing and behavioral health issues in different communities.
is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.