Missouri voting advocates sue after redistricting referendum rejected

By Jen Rice

A person holds a sign opposing the new U.S. House districts passed by the Missouri General Assembly during a protest outside the state Capitol, in Jefferson City, Mo., Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

Voting advocates filed a lawsuit Tuesday, asking a state court to quickly put a redistricting referendum on the November ballot as Missouri Republicans inch closer to thwarting voters’ efforts to block gerrymandered new voting maps.

Missouri voters fought for nearly a year to put the gerrymander to a statewide referendum vote in November. But Republicans have thrown roadblocks in their path at every turn, even as the battle enters its final weeks. 

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, an elected Republican, on Tuesday rejected the referendum petition after delaying his decision for months until the final deadline — part of the GOP’s strategy of running out the clock on opponents’ efforts to stop the map. Hoskins declared the referendum unconstitutional, saying voters do not have the authority to challenge the legislature’s redistricting plans. 

People Not Politicians, the group leading the referendum effort, filed a lawsuit hours later challenging Hoskins’ decision. The pro-voting advocates said it’s not too late for Missouri courts to order state officials to place the referendum on the ballot. State law requires the legal challenge to be fast-tracked to the Missouri Supreme Court before the Sept. 8 deadline to make changes to the November ballot, advocates argued.

Missouri voters turned in more than 300,000 signatures in December — more than three times the required number of signatures. By March, the referendum cleared a major hurdle when local election officials verified enough signatures for the measure to qualify for the ballot. However, Hoskins made it clear that he would delay his official certification decision until the last possible moment.

Richard von Glahn, the executive director of People Not Politicians, said in a social media post last week that Hoskins’ strategy of delaying his final decision on the referendum has come to an end.  

“After eight long months, the game is finally up,” von Glahn said. “Denny is finally going to have to take action. But all that action is going to do is start the next series of litigation, where I feel confident that the people, not the politicians, are going to prevail.”