Missouri Redistricting Referendum Blocked

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins refused to certify a citizens’ referendum petition that sought to put the state’s new congressional map before voters in a November statewide election. Supporters had submitted hundreds of thousands of signatures to challenge the Republican-led Legislature’s Trump-backed map, which would give Republicans a 7-1 advantage in Missouri’s U.S. House delegation by eliminating one Democratic-held seat. Hoskins said the petition was insufficient because challenging a congressional map by referendum is unconstitutional under Missouri law; opponents could now take the dispute to court.