1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

Missourians and Texans deserve maps that let communities choose their leaders, not politicians choosing their voters. What’s happening now is an unconstitutional mid-decade power grab—engineered under political pressure and aimed squarely at silencing Kansas City’s Black and brown voters and locking in a 7–1 Missouri delegation. It’s the same playbook Texas ran under the same national pressure, and it’s as blatant as it is corrosive: slices along historic segregation lines, manufactured “safe” districts, and a campaign to block citizens from even using the referendum rights our constitutions guarantee. We want representation that protects families, schools, and basic services—not one-party entrenchment by map. Enough. Put people first. Let the citizen referendum proceed, count every valid signature already gathered, and keep current districts in place until voters—not insiders—decide. Stop carving up Kansas City. Stop importing D.C. maps into Jefferson City. Stop pretending this is about “values” when the effect is voter dilution. Missouri and Texas can do what Colorado just did for kids’ lunches—govern for people. We refuse to let anyone “kill the vote” by design. Key receipts (one line from each source) Kansas City Star: “In total, the 5th District will have lost more than 70,000 minority residents under the new map.” (KC Star, 10/29/25) KC Star (Troost Avenue): “Lawmakers used Troost Avenue, a historic symbol of segregation in Kansas City, as the dividing line between the 4th and 5th Districts.” (KC Star, 10/29/25) St. Louis Public Radio (Oct 28): “Republicans in the Missouri legislature passed a new congressional map… as part of a national GOP strategy to prevent Democrats from taking control of the U.S. House.” (STLPR, 10/28/25) STLPR (Oct 28—referendum risk): “A looming referendum could derail plans… even if voters approve the map in November 2026.” (STLPR, 10/28/25) Columbia Missourian (Oct 22): “For more than 150 years, the citizen referendum has stood as one of Missouri’s strongest democratic checks on political power.” (Missourian, 10/22/25) Democracy Docket: “Missouri Republicans gave in to pressure from President Donald Trump to redraw the congressional map… splitting apart Black neighborhoods in Kansas City into two safe Republican districts to give the GOP a 7–1 advantage.” (Democracy Docket, 10/16/25) STLPR (Oct 16—lawsuit pushback): “The constitution specifically allows a referendum on that bill… and she is just absolutely wrong about that.” —Attorney Chuck Hatfield (STLPR, 10/16/25) Morning Digest / The Downballot: “New contestant for most embarrassing election lawsuit of 2025 just dropped,” describing the SOS suit relying on the long-rejected “independent state legislature” theory. (Daily Kos Morning Digest, 10/17/25) Missouri Independent (reprinted by Missourian): “The day that the governor called the extraordinary session, the map was already done… this map was not drawn in the state.” (Missouri Independent via Missourian, 10/15/25) KSMU (Oct 13): “People Not Politicians… collected over 50,000 signatures… the referendum process… has been used more than 25 times to override what the legislature has decided.” (KSMU, 10/13/25) KMOV / First Alert 4: “In just one month, People Not Politicians has collected over 100,000 signatures… pointing to the constitution that states the people can ‘approve or reject by referendum any act of the general assembly.’” (KMOV, 10/17/25) KCUR/STLPR (Oct 17): “The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right to have redistricting plans put up for referendum in 1916… Missouri voters blocked a redrawn congressional map through the referendum process in 1922.” (STLPR/KCUR, 10/17/25) St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board: “Missouri Republicans have re-gerrymandered… mid-decade… because President Donald Trump picked up the phone and ordered Republican lawmakers… to redraw the lines.” (STL Post-Dispatch, 10/15/25) (Texas context referenced in multiple Missouri pieces: Missouri moved after Trump pressured Texas to redraw mid-decade; the same national operatives tied to the Texas redraw surface in Missouri filings.)