Missouri judge orders new ballot summary for Trump-backed redistricting plan

Missouri judge revises ballot language for Trump-backed redistricting plan

A Missouri state judge on Friday ordered a new description for a ballot proposal that would let voters consider whether to adopt new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump. The ruling came after Missouri’s Republican secretary of state acknowledged that he had written an “unfair summary” that could bias voters by describing the state’s existing districts as “gerrymandered.”

Cole County Circuit Judge Brian Stumpe directed election authorities to use a toned-down version of the ballot summary tied to the potential statewide referendum. Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ original ballot language, as presented for the referendum effort, included a characterization of the existing congressional plan as “gerrymandered” and a framing that the replacement boundaries would “keep more cities and counties intact, are more compact, and better reflects statewide voting patterns,” according to the complaint and court proceedings described in the case.

Attorneys for Hoskins conceded during court proceedings that it was unfair to describe Missouri’s current districts as gerrymandered and protecting incumbents. However, Hoskins maintained that other language describing features of the new districts was appropriate, and that position carried through in the judge’s revised order.

Stumpe struck much of the earlier wording but left in place phrases that describe the new districts as more compact and as keeping more counties and cities intact. Both sides described the decision as meaningful progress, even as the dispute over whether voters will ultimately be asked to approve a statewide change continues.

Stephanie Whitaker, a spokesperson for Attorney General Catherine Hanaway—whose office represented Hoskins—said in a statement that the change means voters would get a “fair ballot summary” if the referendum qualifies for the November ballot. Whitaker said the ruling gives opponents what she described as a more neutral presentation of the measure’s description.

Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for People Not Politicians, said the judge’s order was “a solid victory” and “important,” but he said the group still objected to some of the remaining wording. He said the organization would consider whether to appeal the ruling.

The referendum effort’s next step depends on signature verification by state election officials. Missouri’s secretary of state has until Aug. 4, the date of the state’s primary elections, to determine whether People Not Politicians gathered enough valid petition signatures and whether the proposal meets constitutional requirements to appear on the ballot this November.

Separately, the new map itself faces another legal challenge. The state Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting based on claims that such changes are not allowed under Missouri’s constitution.

Missouri lawmakers approved new congressional districts in September, following Trump’s call for states to redraw districts to give Republicans a better chance in the midterm elections. Missouri currently has six Republican and two Democratic members in the U.S. House under the 2022 map adopted after the most recent census, and the new plan aims to reshape district boundaries, including efforts that would affect a seat in the Kansas City area now held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

The redistricting push has spread to other states as well, with the dispute playing out in Republican-led North Carolina and Ohio and Democratic-led California and Virginia. Republican-led Florida is set to join the redistricting debate with a special legislative session in April.