[REVISION HISTORY]

Missouri redistricting and ballot initiative litigation

Updated 31 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-12 12:53 UTC → 2026-09-18 02:14 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Following the August 4, 2026, primary, legal proceedings regarding Missouri’s redistricting and ballot initiatives have reached significant milestones. During the election, voters rejected Amendment ~~4, which would have tightened ballot-initiative requirements,~~ 4 and Amendment ~~5, a proposal to phase out the individual income tax.~~ 5. Concurrently, a legal battle continued over a citizens’ referendum seeking to overturn the GOP-drawn “Missouri First” congressional map. On August 18, 2026, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled against the legal challenge to place the redistricting map on the statewide ballot, upholding Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ position that the Missouri Constitution does not permit a referendum on congressional redistricting. The revised map, which was drawn following requests from Donald Trump, significantly alters the 5th Congressional District and is expected to potentially grant Republicans an additional seat, shifting the state's advantage from a 6-2 split to a 7-1 split. In a significant shift, ballot. However, the Missouri Supreme Court later issued a unanimous decision to block the new map for the ~~upcoming~~ November 3 midterm ~~elections. The court ruled that the boundaries cannot be implemented this November and ordered that the map~~ elections, ordering it be submitted to a referendum after ~~the organization~~ People Not Politicians Missouri collected over 300,000 signatures. ~~Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, describing the ruling as~~ After a ~~“constitutional crisis,” filed an emergency appeal to~~ period of conflicting rulings between state and federal courts, the ~~United States~~ U.S. Supreme Court issued an unsigned order on ~~behalf of Secretary of State Denny Hoskins. On~~ September 8, 10, 2026, ~~the legal landscape entered a state of limbo due to conflicting rulings. While the Missouri Supreme Court ordered~~ blocking the use of the ~~2022 map, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued~~ new Republican-backed map for the November midterms. This decision stays a ~~temporary restraining~~ federal district judge’s order ~~requiring~~ that had required the state to ~~use~~ implement the ~~new Republican-backed~~ 2025 map. Consequently, Missouri will utilize its 2022 congressional map for the November elections, and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has directed local authorities to ~~avoid voter confusion. However,~~ revert to those boundaries. On September 17, 2026, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. ~~Supreme~~ Circuit Court ~~has since issued~~ of Appeals began considering an ~~unsigned order rejecting the request~~ attempt to implement the new Republican-drawn ~~map.~~ districts. Local officials noted that changing maps now would be ‘practically impossible’ due to ballot printing and federal deadlines. Additionally, a new lawsuit in Cole County seeks to void the August primary results for the 5th Congressional District, arguing that boundary changes necessitate a new nomination process.

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