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# Missouri Voters Crushed a Partisan Power Grab - the State Blocked Them Anyway | EP51
- URL: https://ivn.us/podcasts/missouri-voters-crushed-a-partisan-power-grab-the-state-blocked-them-anyway-ep51/
- Published: 2026-08-06T19:30:24.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-06T19:30:24.000Z
- Description: In this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast, hosts Ethan, Cara, and Shawn dig into the escalating battle between citizen-led direct democracy and entrenched political power.
- Author: Independent Voter Podcast
- Tags: Independent Voter Podcast, Podcast

Missouri voters showed up and shut down the legislature's attempt to gut citizen initiatives - and then, hours before polls closed, the Secretary of State went in front of a camera and declared their 300,000-signature people's veto unconstitutional anyway.

Cara McCormick, Ethan Handelman, and Shawn Griffiths break down what actually happened in Missouri: the legislature's repeat attempts to raise thresholds and choke off petition drives, the mid-cycle gerrymander that made Missouri the third state to redraw its maps in 2025, and the pile-on that followed — a third of signatures thrown out, an ICE referral aimed at petition circulators, a Black Friday mass text campaign, and a map that never got suspended the way the law says it should. From there it's the DNC's August 15 vote to bar ranked choice voting from the delegate process, a Maine primary where 72% of voters picked a nominee the party swapped out anyway, and the case for a mandatory retirement age that applies to everyone on the taxpayer's dime (inspired by Mitch McConnell’s 50 day Senate absence). 

**This episode is sponsored by the Independent Voter Project and produced by Olas Media. Listen on** [**Spotify**](https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R?ref=ivn.us) **or** [**Apple Podcasts**](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155?ref=ivn-news.ghost.io)**.** 
  
**The Independent Voter Podcast also has its own YouTube channel! If you enjoy these conversations,** [**subscribe to our dedicated channel**](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyLIs900abY403f0PYb2Z6A?ref=ivn.us) **for full episodes, interviews, and future content.**

## **Episode Highlights**

In this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast, hosts Ethan, Cara, and Shawn dig into the escalating battle between citizen-led **direct democracy** and entrenched political power. 

Missouri voters delivered a decisive blow against state legislators trying to restrict **citizen initiatives** and the "people's veto," even as Secretary of State Denny Hoskins [moved to invalidate an **anti-gerrymandering** referendum](https://ivn.us/missouri-drew-a-gerrymander-now-its-secretary-of-state-says-voters-cant-say-no/) backed by over 300,000 signatures. 

The hosts connect this fight to a wave of **mid-cycle redistricting** battles playing out in Missouri, Texas, and California, framing it as a national test case for **ballot access** and **election integrity**. 

Meanwhile, the show turns to a bombshell development from the **Democratic National Committee (DNC)**, which is poised to effectively [neutralize **ranked choice voting (RCV)**](https://ivn.us/dnc-could-ban-ranked-choice-voting-in-2028-even-where-voters-made-it-law/) in delegate allocation — a move that would undercut voter-approved RCV laws in Maine and Washington, D.C., and reignite the debate over whether the presidential nomination process is truly democratic.

[The DNC Insider Leading the Push to Kill Ranked Choice Voting by 2028Democratic National Committee are close to adopting a ranked choice voting ban in the 2028 presidential primary, despite its use in Maine and Washington, D.C. state law.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/icon/53759554_1170739903086963_9038685436649668608_n-1-55823766-4d59-4c7e-a8ec-4685a697bc7d.jpg)Independent Voter NewsRob Richie![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/thumbnail/image-58737776-c13d-432d-9118-3d0081391a18-a25d77d9-8cb6-414a-bc6c-4ef92603e506.jpg)](https://ivn.us/the-dnc-insider-leading-the-push-to-kill-ranked-choice-voting-by-2028/)

The conversation also spotlights the growing fight over **money in politics** and **campaign finance reform**, centered on Maine's Question 1 ballot initiative capping **super PAC** contributions at $5,000 — a measure that passed with nearly 75% voter approval and is [now before the First Circuit Court of Appeals](https://ivn.us/the-case-that-could-bring-an-end-to-super-pacs/). 

The hosts unpack how this case could finally force the Supreme Court to rule on **super PAC** contribution limits, a question left open since *Citizens United*, and tie it directly to Elon Musk's outsized political spending through America PAC ahead of the 2026 **midterm elections**. 

A new Gallup poll showing two-thirds of Americans fear politicians will pressure election officials to alter outcomes underscores just how urgent the **election trust** conversation has become for **independent voters** and reform advocates alike.

Rounding out the episode, the hosts tackle **term limits** and **age limits** in Congress, using Senator Mitch McConnell's prolonged public absence and President Trump's record-low approval ratings as launching points for a broader look at generational turnover in American politics. 

They highlight independent Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn's self-imposed two-term pledge as a model for accountability outside the two-party system. Packed with commentary on **electoral reform**, **voter dealignment**, and the structural incentives keeping career politicians in power, this episode is essential listening for anyone following the fight for **nonpartisan election reform** and a more accountable democracy.