1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing to you as your constituent to express my deep outrage over the Republican-led gerrymander of Missouri's congressional maps — and the deliberate legal strategy being used to make it stick. Missouri voters did exactly what the Missouri Constitution allows: they gathered the required signatures to trigger a veto referendum, giving citizens the right to vote on whether to accept or reject the newly drawn maps. That is not a loophole. That is democracy working as intended. And yet, six months after Republicans rushed this gerrymander into law, Missouri elections remain in limbo — not by accident, but by design. Richard von Glahn, who is leading the referendum effort, has stated plainly that the GOP's legal strategy is to "lose slowly enough so that they may conduct an illegal election" before voters get a chance to weigh in. That is a breathtaking admission of bad faith, and it should concern every Missourian regardless of party. This is not a partisan disagreement about policy. This is an attempt to circumvent the Missouri Constitution and deny voters their explicit right to a referendum. Conducting a congressional election under an illegitimate map — one that is legally in dispute — would be an affront to every voter in this state. I am asking you directly: - Will you publicly oppose the use of the gerrymandered maps until the courts resolve which map is legally in effect? - Will you call for an expedited ruling so that Missouri elections are not conducted under a cloud of unconstitutionality? - Will you put the integrity of Missouri's elections above partisan advantage? Your constituents are watching. History will remember who stood up for the rule of law and who helped orchestrate its erosion. I expect a response.