8th Circuit Orders Missouri Use Republican-Backed 2025 Congressional Map

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on September 21, 2026, that Missouri must use a Republican-drawn 2025 congressional map for the November 3 general election. The court determined that because the August 4 primary was conducted using the 2025 boundaries, switching to the 2022 map for the general election would violate Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution by denying voters continuity in their constituency.

This ruling contradicts a Missouri Supreme Court decision that blocked the 2025 map pending a statewide referendum. The 2025 map, backed by Donald Trump, is designed to favor Republicans by potentially shifting the state's congressional balance from a 6-2 to a 7-1 split, specifically targeting a Democratic-held district in Kansas City held by Representative Emmanuel Cleaver.

The court stayed its order until September 28 to allow the Supreme Court of the United States to review the matter. This delay is critical as absentee voting began on September 22, and ballots for overseas and military voters were mailed on September 19 based on the 2022 boundaries. Election officials in several counties, including Jackson and Boone, warned that a late map change would cause significant administrative chaos and potentially invalidate already cast ballots.

Advocacy group People Not Politicians has filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to block the 8th Circuit's mandate. Meanwhile, Missouri voters will decide on Proposition A, which asks them to choose between the two maps, and Amendment 6, which would restrict the legislature's ability to redraw districts following a rejected referendum.