The Missouri legislature is back in session with a call from Governor Kehoe for a special session to address redrawing the congressional districts and initiative petition (IP) reform.

President Trump has called on some Red State Governors to redraw the congressional districts in their states. Trump estimated the Republicans could gain 5 house seats. Texas was first, rolling out a new map that would likely add one congressional seat to Team R.

Missouri Governor Kehoe is on board and has made this a priority issue for the September special session of Missouri legislators.

Historically, the 435 congressional district maps are created following the 10 year census and remain until the next census. Since 1970, there have been 40 instances of district maps being redrawn between censuses and of those 40, a court ordered 36 of them.

Missouri demographics undoubtedly show a red state with two very dark blue areas surrounding the urban population centers and some purple areas too.  Missouri’s population determines we get eight congressional districts. The map agreed on after the 2020 census gave Missouri six red leaning districts where Republicans were elected and two blue leaning districts where Democrats were elected.  That is 75 percentage for team R and 25 percentage for team D.

For perspective, Missouri statewide voting results from Nov. 5, 2024, gave Donald Trump (R.)58 percentage to Kamala Harris (D) 40 percentage.  Governor Mike Kehoe (R.) received 59 percentage vs Crystal Quade (D) 38 percentage.

The current map seems more than fair. Changing the map from 6R, 2D to a 7R, 1D representation is a poor political choice that will have unintended consequences.

Nationwide, blue states are already flexing that they too can play this game. California is right now working on redrawing the maps to gain more Democrats in Congress.

It is an unwise precedent to start redrawing the district maps in between censuses.  The result will be even more political chaos in the next few years.

The second item on the agenda is IP reform. Missouri House Bill HJR3 would change the standard to pass a citizen-initiated IP ballot measure from the current simple majority of 50 percentage +1 vote statewide to a new standard of the current 50 percentage +1 and passing by a majority of voters in every congressional district in the state. 

The purpose of the citizen initiate petition is to be a check and balance on the state legislators. This effort, should it become law, will effectively destroy the IP process — taking power away from voters and concentrating more power with those elected in Jefferson City.