Missouri election officials began mailing primary ballots on June 17, 2026, to military and overseas voters using a congressional map that reassigned voters in 28 counties to new districts, while the map’s legal status remains unresolved.
Republican Map Targets Democratic Rep. Cleaver’s 5th District
Missouri Republicans drew the map last year with the explicit goal of unseating Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver in Kansas City’s 5th Congressional District. The plan added voters from 14 counties into the 5th District and shifted boundaries in five of the state’s seven other districts. Voters in St. Charles and Warren counties, previously split between the 2nd and 3rd districts, were moved entirely into the 3rd District.
28
Counties where Missouri voters were assigned to a different congressional district than in 2024, under the Republican-drawn map.
Local Officials Chose Consistency Over Legal Caution
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon had publicly resisted updating voter lists until Secretary of State Denny Hoskins ruled on a pending referendum petition. She reversed course on June 16 after speaking with election boards in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, all of which had decided to proceed with the new maps.
“There isn’t anything that we could do at this point… They all met last week, and they have all elected to go with the new maps, and so, in the interest of making sure that we’re all consistent at the local level, I am also going with the new maps, because it’s going to cause chaos if the locals are not consistent.”
Brianna Lennon, Boone County Clerk, June 16, 2026
The decision locks in the new district assignments for the Aug. 4 primary ballot. But voting against a disputed map’s implementation carries real costs: Lennon had already spent months reassigning voter lists before Hoskins accused her of violating election law for asking him to decide faster.
A Referendum Petition Is Within 250 Signatures of Qualification
The legal fight is not finished. Under the Missouri Constitution, a valid referendum petition prevents a new law from taking effect until voters approve it. A political action committee called People Not Politicians filed such a petition. Based on county signature totals posted by Hoskins’ office, the group calculates the petition has qualified in the required six congressional districts, with just 250 signatures still awaiting verification.
Hoskins has not yet issued a ruling on the petition’s sufficiency. Other local election officials urged him to act, arguing that the constitutional right to a referendum should have been resolved before ballots were printed. Missouri voters can check the Secretary of State’s voter registration portal at sos.mo.gov to confirm whether their district assignment changed from 2024.
What You Can Do Now
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Verify your Missouri district at sos.mo.gov before the Aug. 4 primary. Go to the Secretary of State’s voter registration portal and confirm which congressional district you’re assigned to. Voters in St. Charles, Warren, and 26 other counties were moved without notice.
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Call Secretary of State Denny Hoskins at (573) 751-2379 and demand a formal ruling on the People Not Politicians referendum petition. Tell him: “Rule on the referendum petition now. Missouri voters have a constitutional right to weigh in before this map takes effect.” Every day of delay affects whether a referendum can be placed on the ballot in time.
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Contact your Missouri state senator at (573) 751-3766 and ask them to support independent redistricting reform. Tell them: “Voters in 28 counties were reassigned without a transparent process. Missouri needs an independent redistricting commission so maps can’t be drawn to eliminate one party’s representative.”
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Sign People Not Politicians’ petition if you haven’t already. The group needs roughly 250 more verified signatures to qualify in all six required districts. Visit peoplenotpoliticiansMO.com to check your county’s status and add your signature before the certification deadline.
Sources
- Local election officials go with Missouri’s gerrymandered congressional map despite uncertainty — Missouri Independent (2026-06-16)
Missouri Secretary of State: Voter Registration Verification Portal
Brennan Center for Justice: How Gerrymandering Works and Why It Matters
Missouri Constitution, Article III: Referendum Petition Requirements for New Laws
Missouri Independent: People Not Politicians PAC Tracks Referendum Petition Signatures by County
[Callout: 250 signatures remaining.
People Not Politicians calculates referendum petition qualified in 6 required districts. Missouri Independent]