Republicans in ‘Bare-Knuckle Brawl’ to Stop Missourians From Voting on Gerrymander

Missouri voters have the power to veto the state’s new GOP congressional gerrymander at the ballot box – but national Republicans are ramping up their efforts to stop them from having the final word. 

A PAC funded by the Republican National Committee and the GOP’s congressional campaign arm is using the courts to create legal delays in hopes of sabotaging a ballot measure to block the gerrymander ahead of a major Dec. 11 deadline.

Missouri is one of three states to gerrymander its congressional map this year solely at the request of President Donald Trump, who is pressuring GOP-controlled states to draw more Republican-friendly seats in the 2026 election. But, unlike in Texas and North Carolina, Missourians have the power to stop the gerrymander themselves by putting a veto referendum to a statewide vote.

It’s certainly not the first time Missouri Republicans have fought hard to thwart the will of the voters. But this battle is different, said Chuck Hatfield, an attorney representing People Not Politicians, the group organizing the referendum.

“Congressional redistricting is a bare-knuckle brawl all over the country right now,” Hatfield said. “And it’s definitely true in Missouri. Republicans are doing things that have not been done before. In some cases, they’re doing things that the courts have specifically told them they cannot do. And they’re trying everything they can to desperately deny the people a right to participate in these redistricting decisions.”

People Not Politicians, the lead group behind the referendum, has collected over 200,000 signatures, recently organizing more than 400 volunteers to gather over 11,000 signatures in a single day, according to the group.

It has until Dec. 11 – 90 days after the legislature adjourned the redistricting special session – to submit over 106,000 signatures for verification to Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, an elected Republican who is working to block the measure from getting on the ballot.

Hoskins rejected the initial referendum paperwork the group filed when the legislature adjourned, claiming the form could not be approved until after Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed the map into law nearly two weeks later on Sept. 28. By the time Hoskins finally approved the paperwork Oct. 14, referendum supporters had already gathered more than 90,000 signatures. 

Hoskins’ office then said in a press release that those signatures won’t be counted. 

“Under Missouri law, no signatures gathered before this approval date are valid, and doing so constitutes a misdemeanor election offense,” it declared. 

The next day, the office informed voters that it’s a criminal offense to sign the same measure more than once, leaving supporters uncertain about whether to sign it again in case the first signature was ruled invalid.

Separately, Hoskins also has introduced deceptive proposed ballot language that claims the GOP gerrymander “better reflects statewide voting patterns.” Referendum organizers say it will likely be challenged in court.

People Not Politicians filed a lawsuit challenging Hoskins’ rejection of the signatures – a case that was scheduled to be heard in state court Thursday. But that didn’t happen. 

The Put Missouri First PAC, represented by attorney Marc Ellinger, filed a motion Wednesday afternoon to intervene in the case. The committee was formed in October, funded by two $50,000 contributions from the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Republican National Committee.

Circuit Court Judge Daniel Green granted the motion. Ellinger then swiftly derailed the hearing, asking the judge for discovery, Hatfield said. When Green said he would go forward with the hearing, rather than allow further delay for discovery, Ellinger filed an application for a change of judge.

Ellinger argued in court there was no hurry to proceed because signatures weren’t due until December, Hatfield said.

But while Republicans tell the court there’s no rush to decide whether signatures will be rejected, they’re also telling voters they could face criminal charges for signing the petition twice.

“They’re trying to sow as much confusion as they can to make it hard for us to get the signatures together,” Hatfield said, adding that Missouri voters want answers. 

“I have had people say to me, ‘Should I sign again, because I signed before approval?’ I’ve had friends of mine say, ‘I’m going to sign it a second time. I’m going to take the chance. I want to make sure my signature counts,’” Hatfield said. 

The case was reassigned Thursday to Judge Cotton Walker, with a hearing scheduled for Nov. 21.

But the next day, Hoskins filed his own change of judge application, and the Nov. 21 hearing was cancelled. 

The case has now been assigned to Judge Christopher Limbaugh, Hatfield said.

Republicans are delaying because, under state law, once the required signatures are turned in, the map will be suspended until Missourians have the opportunity to vote on the measure, Hatfield said. 

That timeline makes it very challenging for Missouri to be able to use the new map in 2026, Hatfield said.

After the Dec. 11 deadline, the signatures will need to be counted and certified. Then, the legislature will need to call a special election for the ballot measure, Hatfield said. 

Missouri candidates – who will need to know which map they’re running on – are set to start filing Feb. 24 for a place on the Aug. 4 primary ballot. 

“It gets to be a logistical nightmare,” Hatfield said, adding that it takes weeks for election officials to prepare to hold a referendum vote.

Republicans aren’t only trying to throw out signatures. The Missouri Legislature and Secretary of State filed a federal lawsuit challenging the referendum, with a preliminary injunction hearing set for Nov. 25. 

Opponents of the gerrymander, meanwhile, aren’t counting on the referendum alone to stop the map. 

A state court held a trial Wednesday in a challenge brought by Missouri voters arguing the Missouri Constitution prohibits mid-decade redistricting. Regardless of the ruling, the case likely will be appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court.