Missouri Supreme Court rules new GOP-drawn map can’t be used for November elections

Key Points:

• The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the state's newly redrawn congressional map cannot be used in the 2026 midterm elections, requiring a voter referendum on the map to appear on the November ballot and reverting elections to previous district lines.
• The new map, designed to unseat Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by favoring Republicans, was challenged by advocacy group People Not Politicians Missouri, which gathered enough signatures for a veto referendum but faced certification refusal from the Secretary of State.
• The court's decision means Cleaver will run for re-election in his old, heavily Democratic district, while the struck-down 5th District map was drawn to favor Trump by over 17 points in 2024.
• Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced plans to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling the decision unprecedented and a constitutional crisis, while People Not Politicians hailed it as a victory for voter power.
• The ruling highlights ongoing national tensions over mid-decade redistricting efforts, with Missouri being one of several Republican-led states pursuing such maps to bolster their House majority.