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Missouri rejects citizens’ bid for vote on Trump-backed redistricting plan
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a citizens’ petition for a statewide referendum on the GOP-backed congressional redistricting plan, citing constitutional prohibitions against referendums on congressional maps.
- Supporters of the referendum, including People Not Politicians Missouri, plan to challenge Hoskins’ decision in court, arguing there were sufficient valid signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot.
- Hoskins also blocked a separate proposed constitutional amendment aimed at protecting the citizen initiative process, stating it violated rules against combining multiple subjects into one amendment; this decision is also being contested legally.
- The new Missouri congressional map, influenced by Trump’s call for GOP-favored redistricting, reshapes districts to favor Republicans and is already in use for primaries despite ongoing legal disputes.
- Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting is part of a broader national trend of Republican-led states redrawing maps mid-cycle to gain House seats, with significant political and legal implications ahead of the 2024 elections.
