Missouri redistricting ballot box under attack by supermajority and voters tug-of-war

Missouri GOP’s Mid-Census Redistricting and Attacks on Voter Rights: A Blatant Power Grab

By Ricky Dana, Candidate for U.S. House – Missouri’s 4th District

Missouri redistricting is being hijacked by the Republican supermajority, pushing mid-census maps and silencing voters. At the same time, they’re working to make it harder for citizens to pass ballot measures and have repeatedly chipped away at laws Missourians already approved at the ballot box. That isn’t “Missouri values.” It’s a power grab—plain and simple.

Missouri Redistricting: Splitting Kansas City to Rig the Map

Missouri redistricting is supposed to follow the census every ten years. Missouri already redrew its congressional map after 2020. Now, in a special session starting September 2025, the governor and legislative leaders want to do it again—without new census data. The goal is obvious: carve up the Kansas City–based 5th District to dilute Democratic voters and shift our delegation from today’s 6–2 split toward 7–1 or even 8–0. That would silence a large chunk of Missourians and hand Washington even less balanced representation.

Missouri Redistricting & The Initiative Petition Process

Alongside the map scheme, they’re targeting the initiative petition process that Missourians use when lawmakers refuse to act. One proposal would keep the statewide majority rule but also require a majority in all eight congressional districts. Translation: even if 58–60% of voters say “yes,” a handful of districts could veto the rest of the state. That’s not protecting the constitution—it’s giving a minority the power to overrule the majority. This attack pairs with the Missouri redistricting push to lock in one-party control.

When Voters Speak, Politicians Undo It

Medicaid Expansion (2020): Voters approved it. Legislative leaders tried to block funding until the Missouri Supreme Court ruled they had to implement it.
Clean Missouri (2018) → Amendment 3 (2020): Voters created a nonpartisan redistricting system. Two years later, the legislature put a measure on the ballot to repeal it, and narrowly succeeded—restoring partisan control of Missouri redistricting.
Prop B – Puppy Mill Regulations (2010): Voters passed stricter rules for large-scale dog breeders; the legislature quickly weakened key provisions the next year.
Paid Sick Leave & Wage Protections (2024): Voters approved earned paid sick time and safeguards on wages. In 2025, lawmakers repealed those gains, and the repeal just took effect—wiping out benefits workers had started to earn.
Reproductive Rights (2024): Voters restored abortion rights up to around 21 weeks with medical exceptions. Six months later, the legislature placed a new measure on the 2026 ballot to overturn those rights and reimpose a ban.

Whose “Values” Are We Talking About?

State leaders say these moves “put Missouri values first.” But Missouri isn’t a one-party state. Roughly four in ten Missourians vote Democratic, and many popular ballot measures—like Medicaid expansion and paid sick leave—won with bipartisan support. If you keep changing districts through extreme Missouri redistricting and raising barriers to citizen lawmaking, you aren’t reflecting our values—you’re burying them.

The Bottom Line

The mid-census map rewrite, the assault on ballot initiatives, and the reversal of voter-approved laws all serve one purpose: locking in power. Our state motto says, “Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law.” The people spoke—again and again. It’s time Jefferson City started listening. This Missouri redistricting power grab must be rejected, and citizen lawmaking protected.

Also check out: Left Behind in a Health Care Desert: Rural Missouri’s Hospital Crisis

Sources:

Office of the Governor – Special Session on Redistricting & Initiative Petition Reform

Associated Press – Missouri special session to redraw U.S. House districts; initiative petition changes

Missouri Independent – Special session to gerrymander congressional map; IP changes

Washington Post – Kehoe’s mid-cycle redistricting push targeting MO-5

KFF – Missouri Medicaid expansion; 2021 implementation status

Missouri Independent – MO Supreme Court upholds voter-approved Medicaid expansion

Missouri Independent – Repeal of paid sick leave; pattern of undoing voter-approved laws

Husch Blackwell – HB 567 signed; repeal of Prop A (paid sick leave)

Missouri Chamber – Employer FAQ on paid sick leave repeal; effective Aug. 28, 2025

AP/PBS – Lawmakers advance 2026 referendum to repeal 2024 abortion-rights amendment