Organizers in Missouri have successfully submitted over 300,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office in an effort to block a newly approved congressional map that critics argue is gerrymandered. This prodigious move comes on the heels of a very contentious decision by Missouri Republicans to cut transit funding. Their state legislature approved the map in September. The new map makes all but one district of Kansas City-area Democrat Emanuel Cleaver’s largely Black and Democratic district, creating a Republican-friendly replacement.
The campaign, led by the advocacy group People Not Politicians, aims to utilize a provision in the Missouri constitution that allows voters to repeal acts of the legislature if organizers can gather enough signatures. The total signatures submitted is almost three times the 100,000 necessary to successfully place the proposed new state legislative map on hold.
The process hasn’t come without its challenges. Even more alarming, Denny Hoskins, the Missouri Secretary of State, has raised grave concerns. He is attempting to invalidate almost 100,000 signatures already collected, claiming they were gathered too soon. This legal maneuver has ignited further discussion about the legality and legitimacy of the whole signature-gathering process and subsequent referendum.
“The citizens of Missouri have spoken loudly and clearly: they deserve fair maps, not partisan manipulation.” – Richard von Glahn
When those future petitions surfaced, LAB’s team would check the signatures within eight or ten weeks. This process could very well move the final timeline to the summer. Over the next few weeks, it will be Secretary Hoskins’ job to go through those signatures and check their validity. In the other corner, Catherine Hanaway, the Missouri Attorney General, has been spending taxpayer dollars fighting to keep the referendum from going to a vote.
This initiative reflects a broader nationwide movement championed by former President Donald Trump to redraw congressional districts favoring Republican candidates. Republicans are preparing the ground for a stolen election in the 2022 midterm elections. In return, states such as Texas and North Carolina are doubling down to draw even more Republican-friendly districts. In reply, California has negotiated and released an alternate map that would increase the pool by as many as five Democratic districts.
In the board’s long history with this issue, Richard von Glahn offered a strong reminder of the importance of the signature submission in making voters’ voices heard.
“We are submitting a record number of signatures to shut down any doubt that Missouri voters want a say.” – Richard von Glahn