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 admitted in court that a proposed amendment to protect citizen initiatives had enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, but is still refusing to put it before voters.
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.
Missouri state officials have pulled out all the stops to prevent a veto referendum from getting on the ballot that would overturn a mid-cycle gerrymander. This includes writing a ballot summary that makes it sound like the veto referendum is trying to protect gerrymandering in the state.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri is the latest state to move a piece on the redistricting chess board, as its Republican-led House approved a mid-decade map on September 9 that could give the GOP control of seven of the state’s eight U.S. House seats.
Shawn Griffiths
Cara Brown McCormick