Escalation: Denny Hoskins blocks referendum petition

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins refused to certify a petition to put the new congressional map to a statewide vote, saying a referendum on a congressional redistricting plan is unconstitutional under Missouri law. He said the signature count did not matter. The map remained in effect for Tuesday’s primaries and continues unless a court orders otherwise.

Petitioners had submitted more than 300,000 signatures, and election authorities had validated well above the threshold, put at roughly 106,000 to 111,000 statewide. Hoskins announced his decision on the last day allowed, which ensured the new districts were used in the primaries. The campaign behind the referendum will sue; challenges begin in Cole County and can reach the Missouri Supreme Court, which faces a Sept. 8 deadline to decide whether to order the question onto the November ballot.

Under a May Missouri Supreme Court ruling, if the referendum ultimately qualifies, the 2025 map would be treated as suspended retroactively as of December 2025. That could force new primaries in as many as six of the eight districts, or even put different maps on the primary and general election ballots. The redrawn map targets Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-based 5th District by extending it into rural central Missouri to give it a Republican tilt.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources