Missouri senator asks Boone County prosecutor, attorney general to take action against Boone County clerk

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

There is growing tension between the secretary of state and the Boone County clerk over when to tie voters to a new congressional map that eliminates a safe Democratic district, and now state Sen. Rick Brattin is asking for legal action against the clerk.

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon, a Democrat, wrote a letter to Secretary of State Denny Hoskins on Wednesday, informing him that the voters can't be tied to the new 2025 congressional districts ahead of this year's August primaries until he certifies a referendum that would ask voters to confirm the new districts.

Hoskins, a Republican, responded to Lennon's letter the following day, telling all local election authorities that the 2025 map is legal and backed that claim with recent court rulings upholding the map.

During a news conference Friday in the state Capitol, Hoskins said the Missouri attorney general or even the U.S. Department of Justice could take action. Hoskins also said he doesn't believe it is legal to hold a referendum on a new congressional map.

Brattin said the authority to redraw congressional maps belongs solely to the state legislature.

The map, called "Missouri First" by supporters, has been under legal fire since it was passed during a special legislative session in September. The Missouri Supreme Court upheld the legality of the map Tuesday.

The 2025 map is likely to cut out Democrat Emanuel Cleaver (D-Kansas City) from District 5 and turn the district over to Republican control. Brattin announced he is running for the new District 5, which now includes part of Boone County, in February.

Brattin wrote letters to the Boone County prosecutor and Missouri's attorney general, asking for immediate action if Lennon doesn't implement the map.

"If the Boone County Clerk is refusing to implement a valid and currently operative congressional map, that conduct raises serious concerns of a willful failure to perform a mandatory legal duty under Missouri law," Brattin wrote to Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson. "Election officials are not policymakers. They are tasked with administering the law as written, not substituting their own judgment for that of the legislature."

Brattin asked Johnson to look into the matter, but didn't specify what actions to take.