Nick Sloan, Digital Content Producer | 1:22 AM CST Nov 21, 2025
COLE COUNTY, Mo. —
A campaign committee and a Missouri voter are suing Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, accusing him of using biased and misleading language in the ballot summary for a 2026 referendum on newly drawn congressional districts.
People Not Politicians filed the lawsuit Thursday in Cole County, Missouri.
The suit challenges the summary statement Hoskins certified for House Bill 1, a redistricting plan passed during a special legislative session this fall.
The group submitted petitions seeking to put the redistricting map before voters in 2026.
The lawsuit states Hoskins’ summary describes the 2022 congressional map as “gerrymandered” and says the new districts “keep more cities and counties intact,” are “more compact,” and “better reflect statewide voting patterns.”
The lawsuit argues those phrases are “intentionally argumentative,” inaccurate and designed to prejudice voters.
The plaintiffs say HB 1 itself is simply a list of district boundaries and does not support the positive characterizations included in the summary.
The plaintiffs also claim the Secretary of State is not legally authorized to write a summary statement for referendum petitions at all, citing state statute governing the process.
They ask a judge to throw out the certified language and order Hoskins to write a new, “impartial” summary or to rule that no summary should be issued for a referendum.
Hoskins’ office has not returned an email seeking comment.
Read the article here: https://www.kmbc.com/article/missouri-redistricting-lawsuit-ballot-summary-hoskins/69503155