State rejects Missouri map referendum
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Missouri's new congressional map is set to govern the midterms after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition Tuesday seeking to put it to a statewide vote.
Why it matters: The decision, made on the day voters used the map, locks in district lines that give Republicans a 7-1 advantage and turn Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's Kansas City-based seat into a Republican-leaning one.
Catch up quick: Republican lawmakers redrew Missouri's eight congressional districts in a September special session at President Trump's urging, splitting Kansas City among three districts.
- Critics say the move targeted Cleaver's seat.
- People Not Politicians submitted 305,968 signatures on Dec. 9, needing roughly 110,000 across six of the eight districts.
- Hoskins withheld about a third of the petition pages from verification, arguing signatures gathered before Oct. 14, when he approved the petition's form, weren't valid.
What they're saying: Hoskins said at a press conference the referendum is "null and void by virtue of the fact that it is unconstitutional," citing court rulings and an opinion from Attorney General Catherine Hanaway.
- In response, People Not Politicians executive director Richard von Glahn called it "a last desperate attempt to silence the people's voice in Missouri" and said courts have held redistricting is subject to referendum.
What's next: People Not Politicians has said it will challenge the decision in court, and that a case would go to Cole County, where it would land at the top of the docket.
- Sept. 8 is the last day to add anything to the November ballot, Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said in July.
- If a judge overturns Hoskins, the map is suspended retroactively and Tuesday's results are open to challenge. A losing candidate could sue to have them set aside, People Not Politicians attorney Chuck Hatfield said.
- If not, the map stands through the midterms.
The bottom line: Tuesday was a deadline, not a resolution. Both sides said going in that it would not be the last word.