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OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
Saturday, July 3, 2021
Poll: Oregonians split on Greater Idaho
By DYLAN JEFFERIES
The Bulletin
BEND — Imagine Bend
being Oregon’s eastern-most
city, a short drive from
Redmond, Idaho.
“Greater Idaho,” the
concept of transferring parts
of Southern and Eastern
Oregon to Idaho — making
Redmond, Idaho, a reality —
is gaining traction in some
rural areas.
According to Mike McCa-
rter, the chief petitioner of
Move Oregon’s Border, a
nonprofit advocating for
Greater Idaho, the change
would give rural Oregon
counties a longed-for Repub-
lican-led legislature by leav-
ing liberal strongholds like
Portland and Eugene — and
even Bend and Sisters —
behind in Oregon.
In May, voters in Baker,
Grant, Lake, Malheur and
Sherman counties approved
ballot initiatives that require
county officials to study join-
ing Idaho. Union and Jeffer-
son counties passed similar
initiatives in November 2020.
Despite those initiatives, a
slim majority of Oregonians
do not think rural Oregon
counties should be able to
leave Oregon and join Idaho,
even with voter approval.
And two-thirds of Orego-
nians think it is unlikely the
move will occur.
That’s according to recent
polling from the Oregon
Values and Beliefs Center,
which asked respondents
if they think Idaho absorb-
ing Eastern and Southern
Oregon would be positive or
negative, if they think it is
likely to happen and whether
or not it should be allowed
with voter approval.
The center conducted the
statewide survey of 1,400
Oregon residents, selected
to be demographically
representative of the state,
between June 8 and June 14.
The margin of error ranges
from 1.6% to 2.6% per ques-
tion.
Survey responses
Survey responses reveal
a deep rift between Orego-
nians on the issue.
OREGON VALUES AND BELIEFS CENTER
The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center is committed to
the highest level of public opinion research. To obtain
that, the non-profit is building the largest online research
panel of Oregonians in history to ensure that all voices are
represented in discussions of public policy in a valid and
statistically reliable way.
Selected panelists earn points for their participation, which
can be redeemed for cash or donated to a charity. To learn
more, visit oregonvbc.org.
According to Clacka-
mas County resident Patti
Shanek, the move would
promote separatism, discour-
age political discourse and
raise the cost of living for
rural residents.
“The main tax base comes
from primarily Democrat
counties,” she said. “If the
red counties became part
of Idaho, those forming the
new Idaho would have an
increasingly high cost of
living and limited access to
state programs.”
But according to
Deschutes County resident
Amanda Wallace, the move
would give rural Oregon
conser vatives political
power, which they currently
lack in Oregon’s legislature.
“Conservatives don’t feel
like their voices are heard in
Oregon, nor do they feel like
their vote counts,” she said.
“Sadly, Portland, Salem and
Eugene make all of the deci-
sions.”
Some respondents who
oppose the move cited
concerns that breaking up
the state would discourage a
diversity of opinions, setting
a dangerous precedent for
other states.
“This sets a precedent for
reshaping other states along
color lines and harming the
health of our democracy,”
said Multnomah County
resident Margarette Puck-
ette.
Many argued that unsat-
isfied Oregonians already
have the option of moving to
Idaho.
“If members of these
counties want to become
part of Idaho, then let them
move there,” said Marion
County resident Janis Saba-
tula. “Why mess with state
borders that have been there
for more than 160 years?”
Supporters and opponents
of the move raised concerns
that being a part of Idaho
would entail higher state
taxes and a loss of significant
tax dollars from Western
Oregon and its metropolitan
counties, plus a loss of reve-
nue and jobs from Oregon’s
booming cannabis indus-
try, which remains illegal in
Idaho.
Polling highlights
Overall, 38% of Orego-
nians believe Southern and
Eastern Oregon should be
able to join Idaho with voter
Bustling over lunch
Mask:
allowing only seven custom-
ers in at a time. All must wear
masks.
After hearing the state
was lifting restrictions,
Herrington said he felt
“cautiously optimistic.” With
the delta variant beginning to
ramp up nationally, infecting
large swaths of unvaccinated
people, Herrington said the
business prefers to wait and
see how things pan out.
“I’m just as anxious to
be rid of (COVID-19) as
anybody,” said Herrington,
67, who said he’s been vacci-
nated against the disease.
By noon on July 1, Great
Pacific Wine & Coffee Co.
was bustling. More than 30
people chatted over meals
in the restaurant as employ-
ees rushed to get out orders.
Practically none wore
masks.
Among the customers
was Carole Wachsmuth, a
73-year-old Portland resi-
dent just returning from a
cross-country road trip to
Yellowstone and the Grand
Tetons national parks with
her husband of 52 years. She
said the trip renewed her
love of the road after months
of isolation and fear.
Wachsmuth has had to
be cautious throughout the
pandemic. Her sister endured
six rounds of chemotherapy
for ovarian cancer this year,
but her body was resistant,
which means she will never
be cured, Wachsmuth said.
In addition, she said one
of her daughters-in-law was
diagnosed with rheumatoid
arthritis this year. Another
has diabetes and had a child
during the pandemic.
“I’ve had a lot of people
I’ve had to be careful for,”
she said. “I was really care-
ful for all of them — careful
where I went, careful to wear
a mask. I didn’t go a lot of
places at all.”
Now that she’s fully
vaccinated against COVID-
19, she said she feels like a
new person. It’s given her
a way to protect her family.
Now she’s looking forward
to spending time with her
nine grandchildren.
She echoed a sentiment
held among many people
downtown that day: “It just
feels good to be normal again.”
start to mingle and gather,
especially as the delta vari-
ant, a more contagious strain
of COVID-19, continues to
grow.
“The whole matter is very
frustrating because we believe
there remains a serious risk
and yet we need to respect
the fact this is an individual
choice,” he wrote. “In the end,
there is basically nothing the
County can do about the prob-
lem except continue to spread
the message and assure that
vaccines are readily available
all over the county — which
they have been for months.”
While the county has
mostly ceded the responsi-
bility of vaccinating residents
to local pharmacies and clin-
ics, Umatilla County Public
Health is partnering with
OHA to offer a mobile vacci-
nation clinic in Milton-Free-
water at the Blue Mountain
Community College park-
ing lot from July 5-18. Lund-
gren said the county targeted
Milton-Freewater because it
had a lot fewer vaccination
venues than Pendleton or
Hermiston did.
The Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Indian Reser-
vation on July 2 announced
it was changing its COVID-
19 rules, largely aligning its
guidelines with the state.
Aaron Hines, the interim
CEO of Yellowhawk Tribal
Health Center, said the reser-
vation still was dealing with
some COVID-19 cases of its
own, mostly tied to an expo-
sure on a school bus.
Even though it’s lifting
many of its rules, Hines said
the tribes continue to take the
virus seriously. Hines said
41% of Yellowhawk-eligi-
ble patients are vaccinated, a
number that may not include
tribal members or non-tribal
reservation residents who got
their vaccines elsewhere.
In an attempt to increase
its vaccination rate, the
tribes is instituting a vacci-
nation lottery, similar to
the ones Oregon and other
states have started. Hines
said it was a good chance to
provide one more incentive to
tribal members and CTUIR
employees as the mask
mandate lifts.
“We need to do one more
push to get shots in arms,” he
said.
In the county, Murdock
said further incentives were
unlikely to entice further
vaccinations. Lundgren said
public health was hoping
positive word of mouth would
boost vaccinations in addi-
tion to students returning
back to school.
Continued from Page A1
city’s staple tourist attrac-
tions, was closed for six
months due to the state’s
pandemic restrictions for
indoor entertainment facil-
ities. Armstrong, whose
family has been running the
tours since she was a little
girl, said the business took
a huge hit, had significant
layoffs and survived mostly
off of Payment Protection
Program loans.
Umatilla County joined
Oregon in removing mask-
ing and social distancing
mandates. With the change
in restrictions, Armstrong
said she’s glad to see custom-
ers traveling to Pendleton to
support community busi-
nesses, many of which rely
heavily on tourism and large
events that were canceled for
months. Even though some
say that June 30 felt like
the end of the pandemic in
Oregon, it doesn’t feel that
way to Armstrong.
“For me, I’m wondering
what’s going to be next,” she
said.
Pendleton residents and
downtown businesses are
grappling with the local
post-pandemic circum-
stances.
Some expressed relief
the day after the restrictions
ended, sharing meals with
friends and family at brew-
eries as business owners
opened their doors and
took masking signs off their
windows.
Others, however, are
remaining cautious, as new
COVID-19 variants are on
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Unmasked tour participants enter the Pendleton Underground Thursday, July 1, 2021, a day after Gov. Kate Brown lifted
COVID-19 guidelines.
the rise and the majority of
Umatilla County residents
have yet to be vaccinated,
leaving the county a possible
hotbed for infection, county
health officials say.
Once a graveyard
Vicky Pearce, the owner
of Antiques and Art on
Main, said she was grate-
ful pandemic restrictions
were finally over. From her
shop, which she has owned
for nine years, she watched
the normally bustling down-
town area empty out. To her,
it felt tragic.
“A graveyard,” she said.
“That’s what it really was.”
The hardest part, she said,
was closing her shop for more
than three months — the first
of three times they closed
down. She estimates she lost
up to $75,000 last year.
Pearce said she’s gearing
up for the surge of business
that comes with summer
tourism and events, includ-
ing the Pendleton Round-Up.
And she’s glad to see people
maskless, smiling without
fear.
“I’m grateful for Pendle-
ton for hanging in there and
doing the best they can,” she
said, adding, “I think people
are ready for a change.”
‘Cautiously optimistic’
But not all businesses in
downtown Pendleton are
immediately returning to
normal.
The Pendleton Music
Company does not plan
to change its masking and
distancing policy, accord-
ing to employee Charlie
Herrington. To keep employ-
ees and customers safe from
falling ill, the Main Street
music shop will continue
COVID-19:
Continued from Page A1
said unvaccinated residents
would need to adopt precau-
tions from the early days of
the pandemic, before the virus
infected more than 8,700 resi-
dents and killed 87: wash
hands frequently and stay
home when sick.
Even as many counties see
their daily number of daily
cases drastically shrink as
vaccinations rise, COVID-
19 has proven resilient in
Umatilla County. While
nowhere near the peaks of last
summer and winter, Umatilla
County has frequently
reported double-digit daily
COVID-19 case counts. On
Wednesday, June 30, the
21 cases Umatilla County
reported represented the larg-
est case count of any county in
the state, exceeding even the
Portland metro counties.
Lundgren said the county
was dealing with “fluctuat-
ing” COVID-19 case rates,
with some daily counts the
accumulation of several days.
Oregon on July 2 passed
the 70% vaccination rate for
residents 18 and older, but
Umatilla County is below
average in building immu-
approval, and 34% believe
the move would be positive.
A mong O regon ia n s
living outside of Portland
and the Willamette Valley,
44% support counties being
able to join Idaho with voter
approval, while only 37% of
residents living in the greater
Portland area support coun-
ties’ ability to do so.
Oregonians older than
75 are the most likely to
say that Southern and East-
ern Oregon counties join-
ing Idaho would be negative
(55%), and respondents ages
45 to 54 are the most likely to
say the move would be posi-
tive (40%).
More than half of Orego-
nians with six-figure incomes
believe the move would be
negative, while some 40% of
people with lower incomes
believe it would be negative.
Compared to urban and
suburban residents, rural
residents are the most likely
to say voters should be able
to approve a county’s move
to Idaho (43%), and that a
move to Idaho is likely (32%)
and would be positive (40%).
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
Susan Hilliard, left, receives her second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a
drive-thru clinic operated by the Umatilla County Public Health Department in Pendleton on
March 26, 2021. While Oregon on Thursday, July 1, lifted most COVID-19 restrictions, Umatilla
County needs to keep its contact tracing center open for another two years.
nity to the virus. The share
of county residents who
have received at least one
dose of the vaccine ranges
from 40-42%, the variance
in numbers due to different
statistics from the Oregon
Health Authority and the
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
The CDC shows some
positive trends when focus-
ing on certain age groups.
When isolating residents 12
years and older — no vaccine
has been approved for chil-
dren age 0-11 — the vacci-
nation rate edges up to 53%.
Furthermore, nearly 4 in 5
residents age 65 and older are
vaccinated against COVID-
19, insulating a population
especially vulnerable to the
effects of the virus.
In an email, Murdock
said the commissioners were
happy to see the restrictions
lift after many local busi-
nesses “suffered mightily”
over the past 18 months.
But Murdock also was
concerned about the increased
risk of spread as residents