In battling a GOP gerrymander, Missouri voters are fighting for American democracy
President Donald Trump’s redistricting arms race is wreaking havoc across the country, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
From the still-pending lawsuits to remove Democrats from office in Texas to the surgical targeting of Black voters in North Carolina and the threats and intimidation against lawmakers in Indiana, it’s bad news wherever it lands.
But in Missouri, the fight has grown into something that threatens to cut democracy to the bone. What began as a Trump scheme to tilt the 2026 midterm elections in Republicans’ favor has provoked a fundamental battle over who ultimately holds power in the state: politicians or the voters.
Unlike in other GOP-controlled states that have redrawn their congressional maps at Trump’s behest, the Missouri constitution guarantees voters the right to veto legislation by putting it to a statewide referendum vote. To get the GOP gerrymander on the ballot, Missourians had 90 days after the legislative session adjourned in September to gather more than 100,000 signatures.
https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/in-battling-a-gop-gerrymander-missouri-voters-are-fighting-for-american-democracy/
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