JEFFERSON CITY, MO — Opponents of Missouri’s new congressional map submitted more than 300,000 petition signatures Tuesday, triggering a statewide referendum that could block the Trump-backed redistricting plan from taking effect next year, according to reporting from PBS NewsHour. The volume of signatures far exceeds the roughly 110,000 required to pause the map until voters weigh in.
The campaign, led by the group People Not Politicians, aims to overturn a map passed by Missouri Republicans in September that would eliminate Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City–based district and replace it with a Republican-leaning one. The new map is part of a broader mid-decade redistricting push encouraged by President Donald Trump as the GOP attempts to maintain its narrow House majority in 2026.
The signatures must still be verified by local authorities and Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who has attempted to disqualify nearly 100,000 signatures on procedural grounds. Legal challenges are already underway over his efforts and over ballot wording that referendum organizers say misrepresents the map.
Nationwide, mid-decade redistricting fights are intensifying. Texas, North Carolina, and Ohio have adopted GOP-favored maps, while California voters approved a Democratic-drawn map projected to add several Democratic seats. Courts are reviewing multiple challenges across states.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has filed legal actions aimed at stopping the referendum entirely, though a federal judge dismissed one such lawsuit Monday. Additional lawsuits argue that the special session authorizing the map was improper and that the districts violate requirements for compactness and population balance.
If certified, the referendum would appear on the November ballot unless lawmakers schedule an earlier vote.
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