Updated: 10:14 PM CDT Oct 15, 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
The pushback against redistricting in Missouri moves forward.
The Missouri Secretary of State is giving the okay to people against the state’s redistricting effort to start collecting signatures for a new petition drive.Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, a voter rights group, says more than 100,000 people have already signed the petition to repeal state lawmakers’ plan to redraw congressional maps.
“The truth of the matter is, this is a debate for Missourians and Missouri voters,” said Denise Liberman, director and general counsel of Missouri Voter Protection Coalition.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins says under Missouri law, no signatures gathered before this approval date are valid, and doing so could result in a misdemeanor.
“Every Missourian deserves confidence that ballot measures follow the law — not out-of-state agendas or confusion campaigns. Missouri values fairness and integrity, and this process reflects that,” said Hoskins in a press release.
But Missouri Voter Protection Coalition says under the state law, collecting petition signatures started last month, after the legislature passed the redistricting measure.
“The secretary of state also claimed, falsely, that no signatures gathered before today’s a referendum approval could be considered valid. This is simply untrue,” said Liberman.
Petition advocates will need to get more than 117,000 valid signatures of Missouri voters in six out of eight of Missouri’s congressional districts.
And voters have until Dec. 11 to collect them all.
“At the end of the day, Missourians, not politicians, not the secretary of state’s office, not the legislature, or will decide the future of Missouri’s congressional maps,” said Liberman.
The Missouri attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the organizers of the petition drive.
The lawsuit alleges, it violates the U.S. and Missouri constitutions.
Read the full article here: https://www.kmbc.com/article/missouri-redistricting-petition-drive-voter-rights-challenge/69049999