St. Charles County Official Warns Redistricting Dispute Could Delay Primary
St. Charles County elections director warns that a dispute over congressional maps between state and local officials could disrupt Missouri’s August primary.
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI — A standoff between Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and local election officials over congressional redistricting maps may disrupt the state’s August 4 primary election. St. Charles County’s elections director has warned that technical delays could hinder proper ballot preparation.
Kurt Bahr, St. Charles County Elections Director and former Republican state lawmaker, mentioned that he is ready to upload new district assignments into the state’s voter registration system, but the system isn’t prepared to accept them. This delay affects 30 counties where voters have been reassigned to new districts under a gerrymandered congressional map approved last year.
Counties Split Over Map Implementation
Some election officials are waiting for technical fixes from the Secretary of State’s office, while others refuse to update voter rolls. Brianna Lennon, Boone County Clerk, has stated she won’t update voter lists until Hoskins decides on the sufficiency of a petition seeking a referendum on the new redistricting map.
The disagreement focuses on which congressional district map will be used in this year’s elections. Under the redistricting plan passed last year, St. Charles County moved entirely into the 3rd Congressional District after being split between the 2nd and 3rd districts under the 2022 redistricting plan.
Referendum Petition Adds Uncertainty
The petition seeks a referendum on Missouri’s gerrymandered congressional districts. Supporters of the People Not Politicians redistricting referendum rallied outside Hoskins’ office in Jefferson City, citing 305,968 petition signatures submitted to force the referendum.
Election officials say they cannot prepare for the August primary without clarity on which map will be used and access to the Missouri Centralized Voter Registration system to update district assignments.
Technical and Political Obstacles
The dispute highlights both technical and political challenges facing Missouri’s election administration. Counties affected by the redistricting changes must update voter records in the centralized system before they can begin preparing ballots for the primary election.
Hoskins has not yet ruled on the sufficiency of the referendum petition, leaving election officials uncertain about which congressional map to use for ballot preparation. The ongoing uncertainty has caused delays as the August primary approaches.
The controversy over Missouri’s congressional maps stems from accusations that the redistricting process was gerrymandered to favor certain political outcomes. The referendum petition represents an effort by citizens to challenge the maps through the ballot box.
