voting rights

First Trump got Texas to redistrict to help Republicans win five House seats there. California Democrats are trying to counter that. And Missouri lawmakers moved to help the GOP win another seat, although lawsuits and voter petition drives could stop it.

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.

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.

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 lawsuit marks the first legal challenge against the special session convened by Gov. Mike Kehoe to redraw the state's congressional map and splinter Kansas City to create a 7-1 Republican-dominated map.

Hundreds of workers and civil rights leaders in Kansas City expressed anger over efforts to redraw congressional maps to favor Republicans. Advocates say they're working to keep the same from happening to Missouri, even as President Trump declares that the state "is now IN."

Legal experts say President Trump lacks the constitutional authority to stop states from offering mail ballots. Both Missouri and Kansas currently allow absentee voting by mail, but Kansas Republican lawmakers recently made it harder by eliminating a three-day grace period.

In a battle started by President Trump, Texas, California and even Missouri could redraw lines that change whose votes really matter in the 2026 congressional elections.

Missouri's Freedom Caucus is pressing Gov. Mike Kehoe to call a special session to redraw Cleaver's Kansas City-based district. Cleaver said that mid-decade redistricting would "tear up the country" by creating a "MAGA government."

A federal judge ruled that Kansas lawmakers were suppressing free speech when they passed a law targeting mail-in ballots. The law was passed one month after the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

After a challenge by Republican officials, a federal appeals panel struck down a key way of enforcing the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination in seven states — including Missouri.