Missouri voters could ultimately decide whether the state keeps its current congressional boundaries or adopts a Republican-backed map that redraws several districts across the state. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the newer map cannot take effect unless voters approve it in a statewide referendum, meaning the existing map will be used in November's election. But how do the two congressional maps compare, and what differences could a change make?
Missouri's current congressional map, adopted following the 2020 Census and first used in 2022, divides the state into eight congressional districts. The blocked House Bill 1 map would keep Missouri's eight-seat delegation intact but redraw several district boundaries, particularly in western and central Missouri. The most closely watched changes are around the Kansas City area.
The proposed map would reshape the district represented by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, whose Kansas City-based seat is one of only two Democratic-held districts in Missouri. Republicans argued the revised boundaries would create a fairer map and better reflect population shifts, while critics said the changes were designed to make the district more favorable to Republican candidates. The case reached the Missouri Supreme Court after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a referendum petition that sought to place the new congressional map before voters.
Hoskins argued that Missouri's constitution does not allow congressional redistricting plans approved by the legislature to be challenged through the referendum process. A lower court agreed with that interpretation. On Thursday, however, the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously overturned that decision.
Judge Ginger Gooch wrote that the referendum petition was "legal, sufficient and timely" and ordered Hoskins to certify the measure for the November ballot. The court found that because opponents filed their petition before House Bill 1 took effect, the law never became operative. As a result, the congressional map Missouri adopted in 2022 remains in force unless voters later approve the newer boundaries.
President Donald Trump sharply criticized the Missouri Supreme Court's decision, which blocked the Republican-backed congressional map from being used in November's election and ordered the issue put before voters in a referendum. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the ruling "horrible, ridiculous, and unconstitutional" and argued Missouri should be allowed to use the same congressional districts that were in place for the state's August primary elections. Trump also described the decision as a "dark day" for justice.
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