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A comment on Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater Idaho'. Parent comment

Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by icedistilled on Thursday May 20, 2021 @06:30PM (#27228245)
It sets a bad precedent. Any county can just vote to break off into another state due to political reasons or to form their own state? Either one party will use that to their advantage and disallow the other party from doing the same, or every state will devolve into fragments. Why stop at counties? Why can't zip codes choose the grouping that best represents them too?
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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by nickff on Thursday May 20, 2021 @07:11PM (#27228610)
I fail to see how this would be a 'bad precedent' or 'problem'. Why is keeping arbitrary borders established over a hundred years ago more important than better representation and sortition?
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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by lainga on Thursday May 20, 2021 @07:15PM (#27228655)
The balance of seats in the Senate
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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by nickff on Thursday May 20, 2021 @07:22PM (#27228704)
>" The balance of seats in the Senate "

Do you mean the House? I think the Senate would still have 2 senators per state, and state-level electoral results are unlikely to change if an alienated minority from one state secedes, in favor of joining a more (politically) similar state.

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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by dcolkitt on Thursday May 20, 2021 @09:28PM (#27229539)
I'd imagine a common theme would be for red counties in deep blue states to leave and join their light blue neighbors, which may shift them red. (Or vice versa.)

For example if upstate NY joined Pennsylvania, then the D senator from PA would very likely lose. Or if (Republican-leaning) inland California joined Nevada, then Nevada would probably tip red. Or maybe (heavily blue) Jacksonville and Gainesville get fed up with DeSantis, and leave Florida for Georgia, cementing GA as a solid blue state.

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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by bagacrap on Friday May 21, 2021 @11:10AM (#27235034)
what makes you think there light blue neighbor would have them?
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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by rootusrootus on Thursday May 20, 2021 @07:34PM (#27228786)
What happens when you get down to the last county and they also want to join another state?
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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by nickff on Thursday May 20, 2021 @08:43PM (#27229261)
If there were a one-county state, it would benefit from so much graft that they'd never join anyone else. Imagine having two senators, one congressman, and three electoral votes, all in one county! Every presidential candidate would stop there and promise them the moon!
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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by rootusrootus on Thursday May 20, 2021 @09:49PM (#27229655)
I imagine the first time a county successfully split to join another state, a lot of states would just abolish counties altogether. Then everyone can be in a one-county state...
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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by maxerickson on Thursday May 20, 2021 @08:45PM (#27229273)
Rhode Island is close enough and mostly doesn't get paid much attention.
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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by chrononaut on Thursday May 20, 2021 @07:41PM (#27228848)
> Any county can just vote to break off into another state due to political reasons or to form their own state?

While your question is still an interesting thought experiment, it is worth noting that OP was referring to counties moving between two existing states, not counties seceding a former a _new_ state, which would certainly have different ramifications.

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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by sircastor on Thursday May 20, 2021 @11:52PM (#27230304)
There has been an idea of the west coast states seceding from the Union to form a new country (Cascadia) for quite some time. Though I imagine it’d be a more narrow strip than the whole of Oregon, Washington, and California.
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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by icedistilled on Thursday May 20, 2021 @08:02PM (#27229006)
It's a natural next step. It's hardly a slippery slope argumentative fallacy to suggest the precedent would extend to a logical next step.

And are counties only allowed to do it if they are contiguous with their desired state?

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Re:Five Oregon counties vote to leave state, create 'Greater... by PeterisP on Thursday May 20, 2021 @08:59PM (#27229354)
Well, the precedent would not be binding in any way - the precedent is that everyone (Oregon,Idaho,Congress) must agree, so any of them can veto for any arbitrary reason, and Oregon agreeing on these particular counties going to Idaho does not mean they would or should accept any other cases just because they vote so.
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