The Greater Idaho bill is in the Senate State Affairs Committee. It doesn’t yet have enough votes to pass. Your senator, Kelly Anthon, is on the committee. He is also Majority Leader of the whole House of Reps, representing Minidoka, Cassia, and Oneida counties.
We wrote the following email to him and we hope you will contact him and tell him something similar. Let him know you live in his district so he knows there is local support, and tell him your address to prove it. office: (208) 332-1327KAnthon@senate.idaho.gov
On 2/15, the House passed HJM 1: the Greater Idaho bill. This bill merely says that Idaho is ready to talk with Oregon about the potential to move the state line. You can read it here:
“the Idaho Legislature stands ready to begin discussions with the Oregon Legislature regarding the potential to relocate the Oregon/Idaho state boundary, in accordance with the will of the citizens of eastern Oregon, and we invite the Oregon Legislature to begin talks on this topic with the Idaho Legislature.”
Voting Guide from Citizens for Greater Idaho:
A top-rated pollster, The Trafalgar Group, found Idaho voters in favor of moving the state line are far more numerous than those opposed. This has been the only poll on the topic.
11 counties of eastern Oregon have already voted in favor of the idea.
It is not a waste of time because there are strong reasons for Oregon to cede these counties. And polling of Portland-area voters is promising: 68% want Oregon government to look into this.
The benefits to Idahoans of moving the state line:
1. Idaho would have the satisfaction of freeing more than 380,000 rural Oregonians from stifling blue-state law, and potentially more if the project spreads to other nearby areas.
2. MAINTAINS RURAL VALUES IN THE IDAHO LEGISLATURE: Like the majority of Idaho residents, the people of these rural Oregon counties value faith, family, and self-reliance. In the last eight years, eastern Oregon has voted against hard drugs, and against marijuana legalization. These counties voted 75% Republican in the 2022 US House races – Idaho voted 67% Republican.
3. HELPS STATE BUDGET: The residents of eastern Oregon currently have the same average income as those in Idaho. Under Idaho’s lower taxes and regulation, the economy of these eastern Oregon counties will surge, providing a big benefit to Idaho’s state budget. The benefit to Idaho’s budget of adding southern and eastern Oregon would be $170 million annually, according to a Claremont Institute study.
4. ROOM TO GROW: Currently, many people are moving to Idaho to gain political refuge from blue states. Adding a large part of Oregon to Idaho will take pressure off Idaho’s housing market by giving new people more locations to choose from. It will reduce the growth in traffic and reduce the loss of Idaho farmland to suburban housing by dispersing the influx of people.
5. PUSHES OREGON LAW FARTHER AWAY from Idaho’s population centers: In 2020 Oregon decriminalized hard drugs, making hard drugs easily available to residents of Treasure Valley. Moving the Oregon/Idaho state line further away from Idaho population centers will reduce the ease of access and convenience of these dangerous products to those who might be tempted by them.
Another way to influence the senator is to collect signatures in his district by printing out this unofficial petition. Then deliver it to him by Thursday 5pm, March 9 at his office in the capitol building. Or mail it to his office P.O. Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0081 to arrive March 9.
