Lawsuit asks judge to force decision on Missouri gerrymandering referendum
A new lawsuit filed Monday asks a Cole County judge to force Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to decide whether a referendum challenging Missouri’s new congressional map qualifies for the November ballot before voters cast ballots in the Aug. 4 primary.
The political action committee People Not Politicians, which submitted petitions to put the map on the ballot, accuse Hoskins and Attorney General Catherine Hanaway of “attempting to bully and intimidate local election officials” who are asking for a decision on whether the referendum will be on the November ballot.
The petitions were submitted Dec. 9 and signature verifications reported to Hoskins’ office show it has enough signatures in enough districts to meet the constitutional threshold for placement on the ballot.
Under state law, Hoskins has until Aug. 4, the day of this year’s primary, to issue a decision on whether the petition has sufficient signatures and whether he believes it is a legal use of the referendum power for the congressional map. He has said he intends to use the full time allotted for his decision.
https://missouriindependent.com/2026/05/18/lawsuit-asks-judge-to-force-decision-on-missouri-gerrymandering-referendum/