Missouri Organizers Challenge GOP’s ‘Inaccurate and Biased’ Gerrymander Referendum Language

Pro-democracy organizers filed a new lawsuit Thursday accusing Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) of using wildly deceptive ballot language to tilt a referendum in favor of the GOP’s mid-decade gerrymander. 

The legal challenge, led by People Not Politicians Missouri and referendum proponent Richard von Glahn, argues that the state’s top election official crafted a misleading political pitch — not a fair description of the measure — in a transparent attempt to boost support for the 7–1 Republican map before voters can weigh in next year.

Republican officials have been deploying every lever to keep their congressional redraw in place and block Missourians from exercising their constitutional right to overturn the law through a referendum.

The ballot question Hoskins certified to appear before voters, called 2026-R004, describes the 2022 map as a “gerrymandered” plan that “protects incumbent politicians” while claiming the new 2025 map “keeps more cities and counties intact,” is “more compact” and “better reflects statewide voting patterns.”

The plaintiffs argued Hoskins did not give voters anything close to a neutral explanation of the law they are being asked to approve or reject. 

“The summary statement for 2026-R004 uses language which is intentionally argumentative and likely to create prejudice for the measure,” the plaintiffs wrote. “The summary statement for 2026-R004 is not a true and impartial statement of the purposes of the measure.”

Instead, Hoskins spins the GOP’s aggressive mid-decade redraw as a “good-government” reform while disguising the law’s real impact — dismantling Kansas City’s Democratic-leaning 1st Congressional District to cement a 7–1 Republican advantage.

“The summary is an inaccurate, insufficient, biased, and unfair political description and campaign for House Bill 1,” the plaintiffs added. “The Secretary did not do his job.”

They also challenge Hoskins’ authority to write any summary for a referendum at all — an argument that, if the court agrees, could strip the secretary of the power to draft future veto referendums.

“RSMo requires the Secretary of State to draft a summary statement for an initiative petition. It does not authorize or allow the Secretary to draft a summary statement for a referendum,” they argue. “The Secretary is not authorized to draft a summary statement for a referendum.”

Hoskins is already fighting in court to throw out nearly half the signatures collected by People Not Politicians after rejecting early petitions as “premature.” A separate Republican-led federal lawsuit seeks to block the referendum entirely by arguing that voters have no constitutional right to overturn congressional maps. 

National GOP groups have pumped money into a related pressure campaign and have sent text messages telling voters their signatures may be “improper” and urging them to withdraw their names.

Taken together, these maneuvers amount to a coordinated GOP effort to prevent Missourians from exercising their referendum right entirely — or to at least ensure that if they do, they’ll be steered toward approving the 2025 gerrymander.