Opponents of Trump-backed redistricting in Missouri submit petition with thousands of signatures to force at-large vote

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Opponents of Missouri’s new congressional map submitted thousands of signatures on a petition Tuesday calling for a statewide referendum on a redistricting plan backed by President Donald Trump as part of his quest to hold on to a slim Republican majority in next year’s elections.

Organizers of the petition drive said they have submitted more than 300,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office — far more than the roughly 110,000 signatures needed to suspend new U.S. House districts from taking effect until a public vote can be held next year.

Read more: An Indiana Senate committee brings a Trump-backed redistricting proposal to a final floor vote

The signatures must still be formally verified by local election authorities and Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who has said the referendum is unconstitutional. But if the signatures hold, the referendum could create a major hurdle for Republicans who hope the new districts will help them win a currently Democratic-controlled seat in the Kansas City area in the November election.

State law automatically sets referendum votes in the November election, unless the General Assembly approves an earlier date during its regular session that begins in January.

Redistricting typically occurs once a decade, after each census. But national political parties are engaged in an unusual redistricting battle in the middle of the decade after Trump urged Republican-led states to reshape House voting districts in their favor. The Republican president is trying to avoid the historical trend of the incumbent president’s party losing seats in the midterm elections.

Every House seat could be crucial, because Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to win control of the chamber and block Trump’s agenda.

Redistricting is spreading across states

Texas was the first to respond to Trump’s call to pass a new congressional map that could help Republicans win five additional seats. Last week, the US Supreme Court paved the way for the use of the new regions in the 2026 elections.

Republicans could each get one seat under the new maps approved in Missouri and North Carolina, and they also have a better chance of getting two additional seats under a new congressional map in Ohio. In Indiana, senators this week are considering a proposal that could also help Republicans win two additional seats.

Democrats achieved a victory in California, where voters in November approved a new congressional map drawn by Democrats that could help the party win five additional seats. Democrats could gain a seat in Utah under new congressional districts imposed by a judge.

But Republicans are challenging the actions taken by both states in court. Utah lawmakers are meeting in special session on Tuesday to consider delaying the nominee filing deadline to allow more time for the legal challenge.

Virginia Democrats also took a first step toward redistricting in the middle of the decade, with additional votes expected in the new year.

Missouri referendum sparks heated battle

The group sponsoring the Missouri referendum campaign, People Not Politicians, has raised about $5 million, most of it from out-of-state organizations that oppose the new map. National groups aligned with Republicans have responded with more than $2 million to the committee supporting the new map.

Read more: The battle to redraw the maps of the US House of Representatives is spreading. This is where things are in Missouri and other states

Republicans have tried to thwart the referendum in many ways.

Organizations supporting Republican redistricting tried to pay people up to $30,000 to stop collecting petition signatures, according to a lawsuit filed by Advanced Micro Targeting Inc., a company hired by People Not Politicians.

Hoskins, the secretary of state, asserts that he cannot legally count the approximately 100,000 petition signatures collected in the one-month period between legislative approval of the redistricting bill and its approval of the referendum petition form, but only the signatures collected afterward.

Hoskins also wrote a poll summary that states the new map “repeals Missouri’s current gerrymandered congressional plan…and better reflects statewide voting patterns.” This is the opposite of what supporters of the referendum claim it does, and People Not Politicians is challenging this language in court.

Meanwhile, Republican Attorney General Katherine Hanaway filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Hoskins and the General Assembly asserting that congressional redistricting legislation could not be subject to a referendum. Although a federal judge dismissed that suit on Monday, the judge noted that Hoskins has “the authority to declare the petition unconstitutional himself,” which would likely lead to a new lawsuit.

Missouri’s restriction efforts have already sparked an intense court battle. Lawsuits filed by opponents challenge the legality of Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe’s special session declaration, assert that mid-decade redistricting is not permitted under the Missouri Constitution, and allege that the new districts conflict with requirements to be compact, contiguous and equally populated.

It has been more than a century since Missouri last held a referendum on a congressional redistricting plan. In 1922, U.S. House districts approved by the Republican-led legislature were defeated by approximately 62% of the statewide vote.