From Massachusetts to Alaska, voters will decide on ballot measures this November that would reshape how Americans vote, including open primaries and ranked choice voting systems. But these movements extend beyond the ballot box.
Missouri voters will decide on two ballot measures that could reshape congressional redistricting. Rejecting the new map while approving Amendment 6 might prevent lawmakers from passing a similar map before 2031.
Mid-cycle redistricting in nine states was meant to guarantee election outcomes, but with 3 weeks until the 2026 midterms, the strategy may backfire. In 8 congressional districts, new maps face unexpected obstacles where independent voters could decide the outcome.
More than 24 million voters will cast ballots in new congressional districts they didn't move to, as nine states redrew maps in 2025 ahead of the 2026 midterms. The shift raises questions about whether elected officials represent constituents or if voters are being picked by mapmakers for partisan a
Missouri voters face confusion as dueling court rulings create uncertainty over which congressional map will be used for the November general election, while absentee ballots are already being sent out.
Missouri's highest court unanimously rejected efforts by state officials to block two ballot measures, ruling voters retain the right to reject a new congressional map and strengthen protections for the citizen initiative process.
A Missouri judge blocked voters from using a referendum to overturn a Republican-backed congressional map, despite the initiative collecting over 300,000 signatures. The group behind the effort said it will appeal.
Missouri's Secretary of State blocked a voter referendum to overturn a partisan congressional gerrymander, ruling it unconstitutional without revealing signature counts. The decision will likely face legal challenges.
From closed primaries and gerrymandered districts to ballot-access barriers and debate rules, the two-party system limits voter choice long before Election Day.
The people currently getting any credit for wanting to fix it are not the people with the power to do so, and the people who do have that power were never in Washington to begin with.
A bipartisan House caucus wants to stop politicians from redrawing congressional maps whenever the next partisan power grab comes along. The question is whether Congress is ready to regulate itself.
