The group Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho is hoping Gov. Kate Brown’s statewide stay-at-home order won’t derail for long its newly launched signature-gathering effort in Josephine County. On March 12, the county gave its approval to circulate a petition backed by the group.

Chief petitioner Mike McCarter, a retired La Pine resident, says every day counts in the effort to get on the November ballot. “The people of eastern, central and southern Oregon can’t afford to be governed by a state that shows no regard for our livelihoods,” he said in a statement this week.

The small volunteer movement wants large swaths of Oregon to switch allegiance to Idaho. (It’s also targeting a few counties in northern California.) Along with Josephine County, Douglas and Umatilla counties have also approved petitions.

McCarter, the group’s president, says Oregon’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is a stark example of how Oregonians like him are being short-changed by the state.

Move Oregon's Border is unlikely to achieve its goal, but its numbers are growing. (GreaterIdaho.org)

“The governor’s handling of the coronavirus crisis is driving deeper the wedge between rural Oregon and northwestern Oregon,” he said. “Unlike the urban elite, not all of us can afford to be without work for the next 9 months.”

The group’s Facebook page challenges the governor’s social-distancing measures, arguing that Brown’s authority even in an emergency doesn’t extend to “literally outlawing dating and socializing (within 6 feet of another person).”

Move Oregon’s Border wants lower taxes, less government regulation and more attention paid to the concerns and economic needs of rural residents. Its supporters believe Idaho offers the solution.

The group is seeking to have 22 of Oregon’s 36 counties vote on the question, “Should the county commissioners advocate for the Idaho border to be relocated to make this county a county of Idaho?” Such a vote, advocates say, potentially will showcase enough popular support that it would force the Oregon Legislature and ultimately the U.S. Congress to allow the dramatic change.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little expressed support for the “greater Idaho” movement last month, telling Fox News: “They’re looking at Idaho fondly because of our regulatory atmosphere, our values. It doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

Move Oregon’s Border is unlikely to achieve its goal, considering the many political hurdles it would have to clear, but its message is resonating in parts of Oregon. Hundreds of people, including Douglas County Republican Central Committee chairwoman Valynn Currie, attended a March 7 “Greater Idaho” rally in Roseburg.

To secure a place on the November ballot in Douglas County, 2,955 valid signatures are needed. In Josephine County, it’s 2,429 signatures and in Umatilla, 1,447.

You can read the petitions for the three counties at the Greater Idaho website.

-- Douglas Perry

@douglasmperry

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.