Missouri’s new congressional map, signed into law by the state’s Republican Governor late last month, has prompted an immediate and organized voter response. The new map seeks to realign the state’s representation, targeting a longtime Democratic seat and potentially shifting the congressional delegation from six Republicans and two Democrats to seven Republicans and one Democrat. Missouri is noted as the second state, following Texas, to implement a gerrymandered map amidst a nationwide redistricting battle. In opposition to the legislatively approved boundaries, the group People Not Politicians Missouri has mobilized approximately 3,000 volunteers to collect signatures for a petition aimed at putting the new map to a public referendum. If the group successfully obtains more than 106,000 signatures across the state by the December 11 deadline, the new map would be stalled and placed on the 2026 ballot for voters to either keep or reject.
The referendum campaign is proceeding despite significant official resistance and legal battles. The state’s Attorney General has filed a lawsuit in federal court asserting that a referendum on redistricting violates both the U.S. and Missouri constitutions. Furthermore, while the Secretary of State approved the petition this week after an initial rejection, he claims that any signatures gathered before that approval date are invalid. People Not Politicians Missouri disputes this claim, stating that the state constitution permitted them to begin signature gathering earlier. Beyond the referendum, a slew of separate lawsuits have been filed challenging the new districts, with one challenge arguing that mid-decade redistricting without a new census is unconstitutional. Read more at NPR.org.
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