Missouri voters to decide on new redistricting amendment

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Voters will decide whether to keep changes to redistricting and ethics rules approved in November 2018.

The Missouri House voted 98-56 on Wednesday to put the changes to the constitutional amendment known as Clean Missouri on the ballot.

Among the major changes the new amendment creates is the elimination of the state demographer. The 2018 Clean Missouri amendment created the position of a nonpartisan state demographer to draw up new legislative districts.

The new amendment, if approved by voters, would give the power to redraw districts following the census to already existing commissions.

Missourians in 2018 voted to make “partisan fairness” and “competitiveness” top criteria in drawing state House and Senate districts. The new Republican proposal would shift those to the least important criteria.

If approved by voters, the number of people in each House and Senate district could be determined by the number of voters or citizens who live there. Currently, district sizes are based on the total population who lives there. 

The Senate has already approved the measure.

The new amendment also limits campaign contributions for House and Senate candidates to $2,400 instead of the current $2,500 and repeals a provision that makes those limits subject to inflation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.