Missouri Appeals Court Revises Ballot Language for Congressional Map Referendum
Appeals court strips controversial language from ballot summary for congressional map referendum, removing claims about gerrymandering and political favoritism.
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI — A Missouri appeals court on Thursday shortened the ballot summary for a proposed referendum on the state’s congressional redistricting map, finding that Secretary of State Denny Hoskins had included unsupported claims about the redistricting plan approved by lawmakers last year.
The Western District Court of Appeals reversed part of a Cole County ruling and certified a narrower summary for the referendum petition backed by the political action committee People Not Politicians. If the referendum qualifies for the November ballot, voters would decide whether to approve the redistricting plan passed during a 2025 special session and signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe in September.
Court Strips Controversial Language
The appeals court’s certified summary states the legislation repeals Missouri’s existing congressional plan and replaces it with new boundaries “that keep more counties intact.” This represents a reduction from Hoskins’ original November certification, which described the 2025 map as repealing an “existing gerrymandered congressional plan that protects incumbent politicians.”
Hoskins’ original summary also claimed the new districts “keep more cities and counties intact, are more compact, and better reflect statewide voting patterns.” The appeals court found these additional claims lacked sufficient support.
Legal Challenge Process
People Not Politicians filed suit in Cole County one week after Hoskins certified the ballot language in November, arguing the summary was written to tilt voters toward approving the new map. The case moved to the Western District after Cole County Circuit Judge Brian Stumpe agreed that parts of Hoskins’ wording were unfair but left other claims in place.
Stumpe had removed references to the current map as “gerrymandered” and protecting incumbent politicians, and struck the claim that the new map better reflects statewide voting patterns. However, he allowed the ballot summary to state that the new districts keep more cities and counties intact.
Broader Redistricting Battle
The ballot-title dispute is part of a larger legal battle over the 2025 congressional map, which was drawn during a mid-decade special session. The redistricting plan could potentially help Republicans gain an additional U.S. House seat by reshaping the Kansas City-area district currently represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
The referendum effort by People Not Politicians seeks to give voters the final say on whether Missouri should implement the new congressional boundaries. The organization must collect sufficient signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot, where voters would have the opportunity to approve or reject the legislative redistricting plan.
The appeals court’s decision ensures that voters will see more neutral language describing the referendum, removing claims about gerrymandering and political favoritism that the court found were not adequately supported by evidence.
