Missouri Court Orders Rewrite of Ballot Language for Congressional Map Referendum

A Missouri judge has mandated changes to ballot wording for a potential voter referendum on new congressional districts supported by former President Trump. The secretary of state admitted the original language unfairly described current districts as gerrymandered.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri voters may eventually decide the fate of new congressional boundaries endorsed by former President Donald Trump, but the ballot language they see won’t mention gerrymandering at all.

On Friday, a state judge mandated a revised, more neutral description of the redistricting proposal after Missouri’s GOP Secretary of State admitted he had written an unfair summary that would likely bias voters toward the new boundaries by labeling existing districts as “gerrymandered.”

The decision represents at least a partial win for critics of the revised map, who previously collected over 300,000 petition signatures to force a statewide vote. However, whether that referendum will actually take place this November remains uncertain.

Officials are still working to confirm if opponents collected sufficient valid signatures on their petitions. Meanwhile, the state’s highest court is reviewing a different challenge that seeks to throw out the new map entirely, arguing that mid-decade redistricting violates Missouri’s constitution.

State legislators passed the new congressional boundaries last September, making Missouri the second GOP-controlled state following Texas to answer Trump’s push for redrawn districts aimed at boosting Republican chances in this year’s midterm contests.

This sparked an uncommon back-and-forth redistricting fight that expanded to include Republican-controlled North Carolina and Ohio, plus Democratic-led California and Virginia. Florida’s Republican leadership plans to enter the congressional redistricting discussion during a special legislative session in April.

Missouri’s current U.S. House delegation includes six Republicans and two Democrats under boundaries drawn in 2022 following the latest census. The proposed map targets a Kansas City-area seat now held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver by splitting portions into two adjacent districts and extending the remaining area into heavily Republican rural regions.

Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who backs the new boundaries, has until August 4 — the state’s primary election date — to decide if the referendum petition meets constitutional standards and contains enough verified signatures. Should it qualify, the new districts would be put on hold pending the voter decision.

Hoskins’ initial ballot summary would have asked voters whether to eliminate “Missouri’s existing gerrymandered congressional plan that protects incumbent politicians” and substitute new boundaries “that keep more cities and counties intact, are more compact, and better reflects statewide voting patterns.”

The opposition organization People Not Politicians, which organized the petition effort, filed a lawsuit claiming Hoskins’ language was prejudiced and would likely push people to support the new districts, which critics argue represent the actual gerrymander.

Legal representatives for Hoskins admitted during court hearings that characterizing Missouri’s current districts as gerrymandered and protecting incumbents was unfair. However, Hoskins maintained the remaining description of the proposed districts was appropriate.

Cole County Circuit Judge Brian Stumpe removed much of the original language but sided with Hoskins that accurately describing the new districts as more compact and keeping more counties and cities together was fair. He retained those elements in the revised version he ordered for use.

A representative for Hoskins refused to provide comment on the court’s decision.

Chuck Hatfield, legal counsel for People Not Politicians, called it “a solid victory, and important victory.” However, he noted the group still disagrees with some remaining language and would weigh whether to file an appeal.