Missouri’s Supreme Court Rushes to Decide Whether Voters Get a Say on a Gerrymander

The Missouri Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday on whether a citizen-led referendum can go before voters on the new Republican-drawn congressional map that Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law after a special session, with the case bundled alongside two other ballot matters that must be resolved quickly because Tuesday is the deadline for court-ordered additions to the Nov. 3 ballot [1]. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, backed by the state attorney general’s office, argued that a referendum on a congressional map is unconstitutional; the map redraws Kansas City’s district lines in a way designed to help Republicans unseat Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver [2]. A ruling is expected soon given the tight ballot-printing timeline [3].

Why It Sucks:

Missouri Republicans and State Officials

• Redistricting is the legislature’s job. Officials argue the map was passed through a lawful special session and that letting a referendum override it sets a precedent for undoing any legislative map by petition [2].
• A referendum invites years of chaos. State attorneys contend that allowing congressional maps to be challenged by ballot measure could leave district lines in perpetual legal limbo every redistricting cycle [2].
• The clock is a problem of the challengers’ own making. Republicans argue that if the map is going to be settled by the courts, it should have been resolved months ago rather than forcing a last-minute scramble before ballots print [1].

Missouri Democrats and Voting Rights Advocates

• The map targets one specific Democrat. Advocates say the redrawn Kansas City lines exist for one purpose: unseating Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and eliminating the district as competitive ground for Democrats [2].
• Voters collected enough signatures for a reason. Petitioners argue the whole point of a citizen referendum is to let voters check the legislature when a map looks drawn for partisan advantage rather than fair representation [1, 2].
• Fighting the deadline looks like dodging accountability. The state’s push to keep the referendum off the ballot before the printing deadline strikes advocates as an attempt to run out the clock rather than defend the map on its merits [1, 3].

Local Election Administrators and Missouri Voters

• Ballots can’t wait for politics to sort itself out. With printing deadlines just days away, county election offices are stuck unable to finalize materials until the court rules, whichever way it goes [1, 3].
• Voters don’t know which district they’re in. Residents near the redrawn Kansas City lines face genuine uncertainty about which congressional race they’ll actually be voting in this fall [2].
• A late ruling means less time to inform anyone. Even a quick decision leaves little runway for election offices to notify voters of district changes before Election Day, administrators warn [1, 3].

Sources & Citations:

[1] St. Louis Public Radio: Quick ruling expected after Missouri Supreme Court hears arguments on congressional map
[2] KCUR: Missouri Supreme Court may rule quickly on redistricting vote — and if new map will get used this fall
[3] ABC17News: Missouri Supreme Court considers final attempt to get ‘Missouri First’ map on November ballot