Missouri Secretary of State Rejects Petition for Redistricting Referendum
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Missouri's secretary of state ruled a citizen petition seeking a statewide vote on the GOP-backed congressional map unconstitutional, prompting the group behind the effort to plan a legal challenge.
Missouri’s secretary of state, Denny Hoskins, announced Tuesday that a petition calling for a statewide referendum on the new congressional redistricting plan is invalid because Missouri law bars voter referendums on congressional maps. The decision comes after supporters of the referendum submitted more than 300,000 signatures, well above the roughly 111,000 required for ballot qualification.
"Challenging a congressional map is unconstitutional under Missouri law," Hoskins said, adding that the petition was void regardless of the number of signatures collected.
The petition, backed by the advocacy group People Not Politicians Missouri, aimed to let voters decide whether to adopt a map approved by the Republican-controlled legislature that reshapes the Kansas City-based fifth district to favor Republicans. The group said it will appeal 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 People Not Politicians Missouri.
Hoskins also dismissed a separate citizen-initiative amendment that would make it harder for the legislature to alter or repeal voter-approved initiatives, citing a constitutional prohibition on combining multiple subjects in a single amendment. The Respect Missouri Voters coalition, which sponsored the amendment, indicated it will pursue legal action.
"This brazen disregard for the will of the people is exactly why the people of Missouri came together to gather signatures," said Bob Johnson, a coalition member and former state senator.
The secretary of state’s rulings were supported by opinions from Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway. Critics note that the timing of the decision—issued on the last day allowed under state law—allowed the new districts to be used in the current primary elections.
Missouri is the second Republican-led state, after Texas, to implement a mid-decade redistricting plan promoted by President Donald Trump. The map, already in effect for Tuesday’s primaries, expands the fifth district into rural central Missouri, giving it a Republican tilt. Republicans currently hold six of the state’s eight House seats and hope to add another.
Legal challenges to Missouri’s redistricting effort are expected to add to a wave of lawsuits nationwide, as several states have pursued mid-decade maps to gain partisan advantage ahead of the 2026 elections.