US-POLITICS-SOCIAL-POLICY

Cattle graze beneath the snow-capped mountains of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Wallowa County of eastern Oregon on May 12, 2023. Oregon has not elected a Republican governor in 40 years. Yet it is very divided: in the last midterm elections in November, only six out of 36 counties voted Democratic, but they are the most populous and they consistently win. In the very rural east of the state, many voters are tired of being dispossessed by the urban elite close to the Pacific coast. To ward off fate, an unusual idea emerged: what if we moved the border, to create a "Greater Idaho" encompassing half of Oregon? Of the 15 counties in the eastern part, 11 have already voted to force their local officials to regularly discuss the modalities of a hypothetical secession. On May 16, the Wallowa court is due to vote on a similar measure. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)