Missouri Congressional Redistricting Referendum Language Challenge
People Not Politicians v. Hoskins
A pro-voting lawsuit challenging the wording of a referendum to block the state’s new gerrymandered congressional map.
Background
People Not Politicians, and its Executive Director Richard von Glahn, filed a lawsuit in state court challenging the secretary of state’s “inaccurate, insufficient, biased, and unfair” proposed summary of the referendum to block the state’s new congressional map. Plaintiffs assert state law requires the statements to be true and impartial, but the secretary of state intentionally seeks to “create prejudice” by falsely claiming the new congressional map “keeps more cities and counties intact, [is] more compact, and better reflects statewide voting patterns.” Plaintiffs, alternatively, argue referendum votes do not allow for any summary statement to be included, regardless of accuracy. The lawsuit seeks to create a fair statement or remove the statement from the referendum altogether.
Why It Matters
In September, Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed into law a new congressional map that dilutes the voting strength of Black voters in Kansas City. People Not Politicians has sought to obtain the 106,000 Missouri voter signatures required to put a “people’s veto” of the gerrymander on the statewide ballot, but have faced legal challenges from the state. Now, the secretary of state seeks to create additional hurdles for the pro-voter plaintiffs by proposing misrepresentative referendum language to confuse voters.
Latest Updates:
- Nov. 20, 2025: Plaintiffs filed their lawsuit.