Full Breakdown
Missouri Appeals Court Orders Use of Contested 2025 Congressional Map Amid Ballot Chaos
By Drooid · · How we work
Background and Legal Context
In 2025, Missouri Republicans redrew the state’s congressional districts, eliminating a Democratic district in Kansas City. Voters gathered enough signatures to place the map on a November referendum, prompting the Missouri Supreme Court to block the map pending voter approval. After that decision, a group of Republican candidates sued in federal court, arguing that the 2025 map should remain in effect. The district court barred any map other than the 2025 version, and the 8th Circuit affirmed that ruling while issuing a permanent injunction that will not take effect until late September, pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Data on Voter Impact
- The conservative Club for Growth estimates that approximately 1.4 million Missourians would be placed in different districts under the two maps.
- About 284,000 voters who cast ballots in the August 2026 primary would receive a general-election ballot for a different district.
Official Statements & Responses
The court emphasized that continuity of constituency is required by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the 2022 map must be used for the general election, asserting that the 2025 map cannot take effect without voter approval in the upcoming referendum.
People Not Politicians, the organization that filed the federal suit, said its executive director Richard von Glahn believes the 2025 map cannot become law without voter approval and urged officials to focus on administering elections under the 2022 map.
On-the-Ground Reports
County clerks in Boone and Johnson counties reported that switching to the 2025 map would require recreating ballot styles for the entire election and could force voters to hold off on absentee voting until the legal dispute is resolved. Election workers warned that reprinting and redistributing ballots within statutory timelines would be “practically impossible.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The appellate ruling and the state Supreme Court decision present a direct legal conflict, leaving election officials without clear direction. The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a stay on the appellate decision while it considers emergency review. No guidance has been received from Secretary of State Denny Hoskins on how to reconcile the competing orders.
What’s Next
The parties are expected to seek emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court. If the high court lifts the stay, Missouri will have to implement the 2025 map before absentee voting begins on September 22, 2026. The referendum on the 2025 map is scheduled for November 3, when voters will decide whether the map can become law.
