“We’ll have lower taxes and less regulation in Idaho.”

Idaho has lower income taxes. But Idaho also has a 6% sales tax, Oregon has none. Idaho’s minimum wage is $7.25 per hour (federal minimum) compared to Oregon’s $14.70. For working families, the math isn’t as simple as “lower taxes = more money.”

And those “fewer regulations”? That includes:

• Near-total abortion ban with criminal penalties (2-5 years in prison for providers)
• Marijuana remains illegal for any use
• Lower wages and worker protections
• Reduced healthcare access

Reality check: “Less regulation” means losing rights and protections that many Eastern Oregonians, including women, workers, and patients, currently depend on.

“Most counties have voted for this.”

13 counties have passed advisory measures. But these are non-binding votes asking county officials to “take steps to promote” joining Idaho—they’re not referendums on actual border changes.

Critically, Umatilla County—home to 42% of Eastern Oregon’s population and its two largest cities (Hermiston and Pendleton)—has never had a Greater Idaho measure reach the ballot. When voters in Douglas and Josephine counties actually considered the proposal in detail in 2022, both rejected it, forcing Greater Idaho to scale back their map significantly.

Reality check: When voters have access to complete information and understand the real implications, support weakens considerably.

“This is about preserving our values and way of life.”

Greater Idaho movement claims to represent “old Oregon values,” but which Oregon are they talking about? Oregon’s history includes progressive labor laws, public land access, environmental protections, and personal freedoms—values that Idaho’s government actively opposes.

Consider what changes under Idaho law:

• Women lose the constitutional right to reproductive healthcare
• Workers lose overtime protections and higher minimum wages
• Medical marijuana patients become criminals overnight
• Public land management shifts to a state with different priorities

Reality check: Trading Oregon’s governance for Idaho’s doesn’t preserve your way of life, it fundamentally changes it, and not in ways that benefit everyone equally.

“Rural Oregon is subsidized by Portland and would benefit Idaho’s budget.”

The Greater Idaho movement relies on a single study funded by the conservative Claremont Institute that claims Eastern Oregon would add $170 million annually to Idaho’s budget. This projection assumes Idaho would keep Oregon’s weight-mile tax on freight, a tax Idaho doesn’t currently have and has repeatedly refused to implement. Without this tax, the economic projections collapse.

Moreover, Idaho itself is struggling to maintain its current infrastructure. The Idaho Legislature barely passed the Idaho Department of Transportation budget in 2024 amid concerns about existing road maintenance. Adding thousands of miles of Eastern Oregon highways, schools, health services, and other infrastructure would strain Idaho’s already-stretched resources.

Reality check: If Eastern Oregon is such an economic goldmine, why has the Idaho Legislature been hesitant to commit to the financial terms? Because the costs are negotiable, undefined, and potentially enormous.