Sept. 21 (UPI) — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Missouri must use a new, Republican-friendly congressional voting map in November’s midterm elections, although the U.S. Supreme Court has twice declined to allow it.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the new map, first approved last year, should be used for the upcoming election, which is less than two months away.
The state used the map in primary elections earlier this year, before the state’s high court ruled unanimously a few weeks ago to block the map and say that a referendum on redistricting should instead be on the November ballot. This meant the state would use voting maps with the congressional districts it used in 2022 and 2024.
Several days later, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to grant an emergency appeal by Missouri Republicans asking to use the newer map. But the story continued: Not long after that ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark ruled that the state could use the map, and Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins told local elected officials that he’d follow the federal judge’s ruling instead.
The state supreme court then summoned Hoskins to explain why it shouldn’t fine him in contempt, and the U.S. Supreme Court again ruled against the use of the 2025 map, setting up the referendum again.
The decision Monday, which upholds Clark’s decision, has no immediate effect. The appeals court put its ruling on hold for a week, allowing challengers time to involve the U.S. Supreme Court yet again.
Local elections officials have already sent absentee ballots to citizens overseas and military voters. State law requires absentee ballots to be available to other voters by Tuesday.
The 2025 map, which is backed by President Donald Trump, changed the 5th Congressional District in the state, a district now held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat. It broke up the Kansas City base of the district and extended it into more Republican-leaning areas, giving Republicans a chance to take the district, which is one of the only Democrat-held districts in the state.
A redistricting push backed by Trump started after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in April that gutted a part of the landmark federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 that helped protect minority voting power. Many states, especially in the southern United States, have since redrawn their voting maps to favor Republicans.
Source: U.S. News
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