Missouri's map keeps changing

Candidates like Bethany Mann have campaigned through multiple versions of their district as courts battle over which congressional map to use. No one knows which boundaries will be in effect for November.

Trump pushed a GOP-friendly map

Missouri's Republican legislature passed a new congressional map last September at the White House's urging, designed to secure an additional Republican House seat in November.

Citizens forced a referendum

Opponents gathered over 305,000 signatures to petition for a referendum on the new map, which would keep the old 2022 map in place for the election if approved by voters.

Secretary of State rejected petition

On the morning of the August 4 primary, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the referendum petition one hour before the deadline, forcing the primary to use the new gerrymandered map.

Courts reversed the decision

On September 3, Missouri's Supreme Court unanimously ruled Hoskins was wrong and ordered the old 2022 map used for November, but the chaos didn't stop there.

Maps changed within an hour

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Hoskins's appeal, then 30 minutes later a federal judge ordered the new map used. The U.S. Supreme Court quickly reversed that, restoring the old map.

Hoskins briefly held in contempt

After the U.S. Supreme Court restored the old map, Hoskins continued insisting the new map was valid and was briefly held in contempt of court before changing his position.

Candidates operated on wrong map

Republican Representative Bob Onder campaigned based on the assumption the new map was correct. Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver had to campaign statewide because he didn't know which district he'd be in.

“There's been a fog over the state of Missouri.”

Election officials scrambling

Local election administrators are printing ballots under the old map while preparing contingency plans. Some are providing lookup tools so voters can see their districts under both possible maps.

Gerrymandering splits neighborhoods

The new map uses cracking to divide Democratic areas. One Kansas City church building is in one district, its parking lot in another, and a market across the street in a third.

Voters feel disenfranchised

The constant map changes and extreme gerrymandering are making voters feel the system is rigged and manipulated, deepening disengagement from the electoral process.

“Before, there already were people who were saying voting doesn't matter.”

Both sides feel cheated

Republicans say the state supreme court took away their chance to choose representation by shifting back to the old map after primary votes were cast. Democrats blame Hoskins for waiting until the last hour.

Voters question if votes count

One voter who wrote postcards saying your vote counts now questions whether her vote will even be counted in her congressional district after the map changes.

“Your vote counts. Well, I don't know. Maybe it counts, but it may not be in your congressional district.”

Last-minute chaos erodes trust

With fewer than two months until Election Day, election-related litigation continues winding through courts. Experts warn that last-minute changes to election infrastructure create confusion and damage voter confidence.

“We're talking about last-minute changes to election infrastructure, which could lead to either confusion or affect the outcome of the election.”

Gerrymandering has gone too far

The drawing of congressional districts has always been subjective, but as partisanship deepens, rules keep shifting too late in the process, leaving voters struggling to keep up.

“We need to fix this. It's just gotten out of hand.”