UNION COUNTY — Signature collection has begun in 13 of 15 counties for the proposal to move the Oregon/Idaho Border, including in Union County.

Move Oregon’s Border For a Greater Idaho would turn northern California and Eastern Oregon into Idaho territory.

The effort to move the border, according to Move Oregon’s Border For a Greater Idaho’s proposal, would bring counties in Oregon and California that are Republican into the primarily Republican state of Idaho. The Greater Idaho group contends this would be good for Republicans and Democrats because it would strengthen the number of voters on both sides; Republicans with more numbers and Democrats with less opposition. The group says moving the border will help the area financially.

Clerks in the following counties have approved the petition: Baker, Curry, Douglas, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union and Wallowa. Several locations in Union County have petitions available for signatures.

Clerks in the following counties have rejected the petition: Coos, Crook, Gilliam, Lake and Wheeler, with Greater Idaho supporters fighting the decision in court in Crook and Lake counties.

Union County would need 706 signatures to get the proposal on the ballot in November. Mike McCarter, leader of the movement, said there is another path to putting this before voters.

“We are asking the movement in every rural Oregon county to put an equal effort into the parallel strategy of asking their county commissioners to pass a resolution to ‘refer’ an advisory question to the November ballot in their county,” he said. “If a county court or a county board refers it to the ballot, we don’t have to collect any more signatures, and they get to let their voters decide.”