Missouri's map battle explained

For a year, Missouri has fought over which congressional map to use after Trump pressured GOP states to gerrymander for more Republican seats. Voters tried to stop it with a referendum petition.

Secretary of State blocks the petition

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the referendum petition right at the deadline, hours before the primary election, even though over 330,000 voters had signed it.

Court finds Hoskins in contempt

The Missouri Supreme Court sided with petitioners, finding Hoskins in contempt and validating the referendum petition. But election chaos continued as officials remained unsure which map to use.

A new lawsuit seeks $80 million

Five Missouri residents sued Hoskins under an obscure state statute allowing aggrieved individuals to recover $100 to $500 each. With 162,000 potential class members, the payout could reach $80 million.

The obscure statute that matters

Missouri's Constitution Section 28.200 says if the secretary of state neglects or refuses duties, aggrieved individuals can recover money. Hoskins' rejection of the valid petition violated this law.

Hoskins ignored multiple courts

After the Missouri Supreme Court ruled for the petitioners, Hoskins appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which rejected it. He then complied with a lower court judge's order instead, defying both higher courts.

Republicans kept fighting the map

After the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Hoskins' appeal, Republican Rep. Robert Onder filed a competing lawsuit. A lower court judge sided with him and ordered use of the gerrymandered 2025 map.

Hoskins finally complies, too late

Only after a second rebuke from the U.S. Supreme Court did Hoskins issue guidance to use the 2022 map. The Missouri Supreme Court noted his lack of diligence caused the entire mess.

Who counts as aggrieved?

The lawsuit's success depends on how courts define aggrieved persons. Candidates who ran in different districts during the primary versus general election likely qualify, but others may not.

Over 1 million voters affected

The Associated Press estimated 23 percent of Missouri voters will be in a different congressional district in November than during the August primary, affecting over 1 million people.

No new primary ordered

Judges typically order states to redo elections when maps change, but Missouri's primary is only three months before the general election, making a new primary impractical.

“Most of the time they go ahead and order a new primary, but there's no time.”

The map battle continues

The competing lawsuit from Onder is still ongoing, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit scheduled to hear arguments. Any decision can be appealed to the Supreme Court again.

One seat, one Black congressman

The gerrymandered map splits Kansas City into three districts along racial lines to unseat Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, one of only two Black members of Congress from Missouri.

Cleaver on the chaos

Rep. Cleaver said the worst part of the map whiplash is that it shows voters there are people willing to do anything to win, highlighting the desperation behind the gerrymandering effort.

“the worst part is that it tells voters there are people who will do just about anything to win.”

A rare moment of accountability

This case represents an unusual opportunity for consequences in gerrymandering abuses, with an obscure statute potentially forcing Missouri to pay millions for violating voters' rights.