ACLU asks judge to suspend new congressional district map until public can vote on it
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The ACLU of Missouri sued the Missouri Attorney General and Secretary of State on Tuesday, claiming they have evaded the state constitution's rules on the referendum process.
The group, representing two Kansas City voters, is asking the Cole County courts to suspend House Bill 1, a bill passed during a special session that redrew the state's congressional map mid-decade. The group argues a law is suspended when a referendum on it starts.
The voters are "concerned, they're like, 'I think that I'm in this district, I'm not sure,' It was hard to find a searchable feature for them to figure out what district they lived in," Tori Schafer, director of policy and campaigns at the ACLU of Missouri, said Tuesday. "They really want to understand, 'Who am I? Who am I voting for? What is the primary election going to look like?'"
According to court documents,"'[O]nce a referendum petition has received sufficient signatures to be placed on the general election ballot, the referred measure is placed before the people for their consideration as an original proposition; the prior action by the General Assembly and the Governor on the referred measure is suspended or annulled, and has no further legal effect or consequence.'"
"Previous Secretaries of State and Attorneys General have agreed with the established precedent that referred legislation is suspended upon receipt of the referendum petition," Schafer said in a statement Tuesday.
The suit comes after the state claimed activist group People Not Politicians inaccurately announced Missouri's new congressional district map was frozen after sending in more than 305,000 signatures to the Secretary of State Denny Hoskinson for a petition to put the new congressional map to a vote.
According to court documents, "'Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway issued a statement saying the new House districts took effect Tuesday and will remain in place unless Hoskins determines the referendum petition is constitutional and contains sufficient signatures.'"
If active, the new congressional district map splits Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Fifth District in Kansas City into three. This will merge it with more rural and Republican areas, likely removing Cleaver's seat and giving the Republican Party a boost in the next election.
The new districts will also affect candidate filing on Feb. 24 for the upcoming 2026 midterm election, with candidates needing a clear map to know what districts to file for and who they are representing.
U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R-Raytown) represents District 4, which will also be redrawn in the new map. In a statement on Monday, he reestablished his commitment to Missouri voters.
"Regardless of where the final lines fall, we will win the Fourth District," Alford said.
The Missouri Attorney General's Office did not respond to a request for comment.
This is an ongoing story.
