redistricting

State Sen. Lincoln Hough voted against efforts to end debate on gerrymandering and initiative petition bills — and was swiftly removed as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He was only one of two Republicans who opposed efforts to push through the measures.

The special session featured a number of unprecedented actions that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago, when President Trump demanded that Republican leaders redraw the state's congressional lines.

Missouri's new congressional map carves up Kansas City into three separate districts, fulfilling the wishes of President Donald Trump. The ACLU filed a lawsuit Friday, and Kansas City Council recently passed a resolution authorizing legal action of its own.

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.

Opponents say the plan dilutes the power of Black voters around Kansas City and vow to block it in court or with a referendum. The governor, who's expected to sign the plan, says it reflects the state's conservative values.

Troost Avenue in Kansas City was a historic dividing line during the era of racial segregation. Now, as Missouri Republicans look to pass a gerrymandered new congressional map, this avenue would once again split Kansas City.

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.

Attendees at the National Baptist Convention in Kansas City criticized efforts by Missouri Republicans to carve up the 5th Congressional district, currently held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II. They said such a move silences Black and brown voices in the political process.

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.

Much of Kansas City and the surrounding metro has long been part of Missouri's 5th Congressional District. But a plan pushed by President Trump and approved by the Missouri House would crack the city's urban core into three different districts — leaving residents feeling angry and dismissed.

The redistricting plan transforms Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-based district into a GOP-leaning seat, by linking part of Missouri’s largest city with a slew of rural counties. The legislation now heads to the Missouri Senate, where it could face a rougher reception.