Missouri election chief rejects bid to hold public vote on Trump-backed congressional districts

Missouri’s Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has turned down a petition requesting a public vote on new congressional districts proposed by President Donald Trump. The supporters of the referendum had gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures, aiming to compel a November election on a new U.S. House map approved by the Republican-controlled state Legislature.

However, Republican Secretary of State Hoskins declared on Tuesday that the petition is unconstitutional as congressional redistricting plans cannot be subjected to voter referendums. The group supporting the referendum intends to challenge Hoskins' decision in court. This decision makes Missouri the second Republican-led state, following Texas, to respond to Trump's call from last year to redraw congressional districts to favor the GOP, with hopes of retaining the party's thin House majority in the midterm elections.

The new map, currently in use during this Tuesday’s primaries, significantly modifies the 5th Congressional District, represented by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, by extending it into rural central Missouri to create a more Republican-leaning district. Republicans currently hold six out of Missouri’s eight congressional seats and anticipate gaining another with the new map. Missouri’s redistricting plan has been the subject of numerous legal disputes.