Missouri Secretary of State Rejects Petition for Congressional Map Referendum
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Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins declared a citizen petition seeking a statewide referendum on the new congressional districts unconstitutional, prompting the group behind the effort to plan a legal challenge.
Missouri’s secretary of state, Denny Hoskins, announced on Tuesday that a petition calling for a statewide referendum on the recently approved congressional map will not be placed on the ballot. Hoskins said the petition is void because Missouri law prohibits voter referendums on congressional redistricting, describing any such challenge as unconstitutional.
The petition, submitted by the advocacy group People Not Politicians Missouri, contained more than 300,000 signatures, well above the roughly 111,000 required for qualification. The group said it will contest the decision in court. > "Secretary of State Hoskins is making a last desperate attempt to silence the people’s voice in Missouri," said Richard von Glahn, executive director of the organization.
The new map, which took effect for Tuesday’s primaries, reshapes the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District to add rural central Missouri, giving it a Republican tilt. Republicans currently hold six of the state’s eight House seats and hope to add another under the revised boundaries.
Hoskins had previously asked a federal court to block the petition, arguing that the U.S. and Missouri constitutions do not allow referendums on congressional redistricting. A judge dismissed the suit as premature, noting that Hoskins could reject the petition on constitutional grounds himself. He announced his decision on the last day permitted by state law, allowing the new districts to be used in the primaries.
If a court later orders the referendum to appear on the ballot, officials have not clarified how it would affect the 2026 elections or the current primary results. Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting has already generated extensive litigation, with about a dozen lawsuits filed since the plan’s adoption.
The effort reflects a broader national push, spurred by President Donald Trump, for Republican-led states to redraw congressional lines ahead of the 2024 elections. Republicans anticipate gaining up to 16 additional House seats from new maps in eight states, while Democrats project a smaller gain in a few others.