8th Circuit Weighs Missouri Congressional Map for November Election

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing expedited arguments to determine which congressional district map Missouri will use for the November 3 general election. The dispute centers on whether the state should use a 2022 map or a 2025 map enacted by the legislature. While the U.S. Supreme Court recently stayed a lower court order that favored the 2025 map, the 2022 map currently remains in place.

Denny Hoskins, the Missouri Secretary of State, along with U.S. Rep. Bob Onder and State Sen. Rick Brattin, is petitioning to reinstate the 2025 map and remove a redistricting referendum from the ballot. They argue that using a general election map different from the one used in the August primary violates constitutional equal protection. Conversely, the citizen group People Not Politicians argues the 2025 map was never legally in effect due to a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that a referendum petition suspended it.

The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities warned the court that reverting to the 2025 map is now practically impossible. The organization stated that ballots are already in production based on the 2022 map and that any changes would exceed statutory deadlines and risk the adequacy of votes from military and overseas voters, who must receive ballots by September 19.