Is the redrawn congressional map that Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law last year already in effect? That depends on who you ask.
Republicans have insisted that the new map has already taken effect. Passed in a special session in response to pressure from President Donald Trump, the map splits Kansas City into three parts and aims to oust Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II by making his seat harder for a Democrat to win. Cleaver has represented Kansas City’s 3rd District since 2005.
But Richard Von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians, a campaign opposing the new map, says Missouri’s map should be on pause under state law.
The group submitted 300,000 signatures from Missourians requesting a referendum on the map in December — far more than needed — and it’s expected to go to a statewide vote in November.
“Up until we turned in the signatures… if we turned in signatures, the 2025 map could not go into effect,” Von Glahn told KCUR’s Up To Date. “That’s what they testified in federal court. It’s what Secretary of State Hoskins’s initial ballot summary said.”
A lawsuit on that point, led by the ACLU of Missouri, will be heard in court Tuesday. That case will decide whether or not the maps are in place before November, and Von Glahn said it could have a big impact on the midterm elections.
“We're getting to a point where filing for office is going to take place, and we're getting to a point then where we'll get to primary elections,” Von Glahn said. “And are we going to be running in districts and voting in the districts that the legislature passed in 2022 or 2025 makes a tremendous difference on how voters should prepare and how candidates should prepare.”
- Richard Von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians
