Missouri court rewrites biased ballot question on GOP gerrymander

A Missouri court Friday struck down biased language from a high-stakes ballot question that could let voters block a Trump-backed GOP congressional gerrymander — but left some wording that favors the new gerrymander intact.

“A Missouri court Friday struck down biased language from a high-stakes ballot question that could let voters block a Trump-backed GOP congressional gerrymander — but left some wording that favors the new gerrymander intact”

Democracy Docket

The ruling is a partial victory for voting rights advocates, who argued the original ballot summary drafted by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) was designed to mislead voters — but it also underscores how GOP officials have continued to rig the process as they race to lock in the new map before the 2026 election.

“Do the people of the state of Missouri approve the act of the General Assembly entitled ‘House Bill No. 1 (2025 Second Extraordinary Session),’ which repeals Missouri’s congressional plan, and replaces it with new congressional boundaries that keep more cities and counties intact, and are more compact?”

“A Missouri court Friday struck down biased language from a high-stakes ballot question that could let voters block a Trump-backed GOP congressional gerrymander — but left some wording that favors the new gerrymander intact”

Democracy Docket

At the same time, Republicans have advanced a controversial legal argument that the new map remains in effect unless and until the referendum is formally certified — a position critics say would allow the state to run out the clock.