Missouri secretary of state blocks referendum seeking to undo the GOP’s redrawn congressional map

Missouri Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said Tuesday that he wouldn’t certify a referendum seeking to undo the state’s new GOP-drawn congressional map, arguing that the effort was unconstitutional.

Missouri Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said Tuesday that he wouldn’t certify a referendum seeking to undo the state’s new GOP-drawn congressional map, arguing that the effort was unconstitutional.

“After careful consideration, I have determined the challenge to the new ‘Missouri First’ congressional map to be insufficient based on its unconstitutionality,” he said in an interview ahead of his public announcement.

The announcement is set to further fuel the legal battle over the new map Missouri lawmakers approved 11 months ago, which carved up one of the state’s two Democratic-held districts. It was part of a push led by President Donald Trump for GOP-led states to take up redistricting proposals to shore up the party’s narrow House majority ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

In response, a group called People Not Politicians Missouri said it gathered more than 300,000 signatures to force a veto referendum. Missouri law allows voters to block a law if they gather enough petition signatures — this year, that number is around 106,000 spread out around the state — and then win a majority of votes in a statewide election.

But Hoskins said he believes state and federal law prohibit such a repeal, adding that Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and Gov. Mike Kehoe, both Republicans, agree with him.