Proponents of the Greater Idaho movement appear to have notched a narrow win in northeastern Oregon’s Wallowa County, with partial returns showing 50.3% of its voters saying yes to further consideration of a long-shot effort to move Idaho’s border west.
The highest voter turnout in the state at nearly 55% fueled the tentative victory but the number of eligible voters in Wallowa County is so small it hinged on just 21 votes. As of Wednesday, the vote count stood at 1,721 people for Measure 32-007 versus 1,700 people against it. Meanwhile, Oregon’s overall voter turnout stood at 23%.
If it passes, the measure would require Wallowa County commissioners to “meet twice annually to discuss promoting Wallowa County interest in relocating Idaho borders to include Wallowa County,” according to the text of the measure.
So far, 11 counties have approved similar measures to possibly merge with Idaho.
Crook County, in central Oregon, is expected to vote on the initiative next May, with Gilliam and Umatilla counties after that.
Scenic Wallowa County includes 6,376 registered voters.
The vote channeled resentment among some in eastern Oregon who feel Democrats in the western part of the state ignore or override their concerns.
Proponents of Measure 32-007 asked, for example, “Are you tired of living in the state of Portland?”
Opponents of the measure included groups such as Western States Strategies, which called the effort secessionism born of misinformation.
