Ballot Issue

A group called People Not Politicians announced that it's gathering signatures to prevent Missouri's new congressional map from going into effect until there's a statewide vote. Voters will also have to approve of a Republican plan cracking down on citizen-led constitutional amendments.

Missouri senators are expected to debate and then vote Friday on a Republican-drawn map that seeks to oust Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, as well as a plan to make it harder to pass citizen-led constitutional amendments. Cleaver gave an impassioned testimony against the effort Thursday.

On the same day that thousands of protesters filled the Missouri Capitol to protest gerrymandering, Republicans used a rare procedural maneuver to cut off debate over the rules of the special session.

Protesters demanded that Republicans halt their efforts to redistrict Missouri and make it harder for voter-led constitutional amendments to pass. After protesting in the rotunda, rally-goers packed the Senate chambers, where lawmakers are set to take up both proposals.

Currently, constitutional amendments created through Missouri's initiative petition process only need a statewide vote to be enacted. A Republican ballot measure would make winning much more difficult — and it's now headed to the Senate.

The Republican proposal would require constitutional amendments placed on the ballot through the initiative petition process to win a majority of the statewide vote, and to also pass in all eight of Missouri's congressional districts.

The GOP-dominated Missouri House easily passed legislation Monday night to gerrymander the state's congressional districts. It would link urban areas of Kansas City with rural counties more than 250 miles away.

Because Missouri Republicans don't have enough members due to several vacancies, their proposed congressional map could be open to a referendum that requires a statewide election before taking effect.

A Democratic state representative said the Republican-drawn map will purposefully dilute Black political power in order to force out Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who was elected as the first African American mayor of Kansas City.

Missouri Democrats have accused their GOP colleagues of kowtowing to President Donald Trump, who is pressuring Republican-led states to redraw their maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

One ballot campaign hopes to amend the Missouri constitution to declare education a “fundamental right.” The other would prohibit most public funding of nonpublic schools, including charters. Both accuse the state's top election official, Denny Hoskins, of trying to mislead voters.

As it did in 2023, the ACLU of Missouri is arguing that the ballot summary for a constitutional amendment on abortion is misleading and should be rewritten