The petition puts into jeopardy Missouri Republicans’ attempt to eliminate the Democratic-leaning Kansas City district currently held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

Polling both nationwide and in Missouri has consistently shown that voters overwhelmingly oppose gerrymandering. The new Missouri map splits Kansas City-area voters into three GOP-leaning districts in an effort to force out of office Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected 90,000 signatures for a referendum on the newly redrawn congressional map, because they were collected before Gov. Mike Kehoe had signed the map into law.

Candidates for city governments and boards of education in Missouri have until December 30 to file for municipal elections scheduled for April 7, 2026.

Allies of both parties are pouring money into the fight over a referendum to bring the state’s new congressional maps in front of voters.

The top election officials in Kansas and Missouri have agreed to share voter registration details with each other, a piecemeal approach designed to protect elections that’s raised eyebrows from voting rights advocates.