What Missouri voters should know after confusing congressional redistricting court battles

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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Missouri voters will head to the polls Nov. 3 using the same congressional district maps that were created in 2022 and in place during the 2024 election after the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in Thursday to block a federal court order that would have required the state to use redrawn maps the Republican-controlled legislature passed in 2025.

The court's decision ends more than a week of legal uncertainty that left Missouri voters unsure which maps would govern the November midterm election and what would appear on their ballots.

"It's a mess,” said Allen Rostron, a law professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “I think the one thing everybody could agree on, all Missouri voters, whether they lean Democratic or Republican or somewhere in between, it shouldn't work like this."

The dispute stems from two separate legal challenges.

The first centered on a successful initiative petition effort, which required the gerrymandered maps to go to a statewide vote. But Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins refused to certify the petition.

The Missouri Supreme Court overruled Hoskins, saying he failed to give any reason for his decision, and ordered the referendum to proceed.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who oversees emergency appeals in Missouri, declined to intervene in that case, leaving the Missouri Supreme Court's order in effect.

But a federal judge in a separate case brought by a group of state legislators plunged the Show-Me State back into chaos.

Chief Judge Stephen R. Clark, who oversees the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis, issued a temporary retraining order Tuesday that Missouri had to use the gerrymandered maps because they were in effect during the Aug. 4 primary. The U.S. Supreme Court stepped in Thursday and blocked that ruling, effectively keeping the Missouri Supreme Court's order in force.

Rostron said the combined effect of the rulings brings the legal fight to a close — at least for now.

"The effect of the Supreme Court's decision is that the legal fighting over this is now over and it'll be settled now that, on the ballot in November, we'll use the old map, and also that referendum measure will be on there," Rostron said.

The U.S. Supreme Court could still take up the case after district court hearings, which are scheduled for next week, but that would not happen until next month at the earliest.

“I think it's over because they're going to have to proceed, as a practical matter, with making the ballots and having people start to vote,” Rostron said. “Once they do, I think it would be really hard for someone, either between now and the election or after the election, to challenge what's going to happen. ... At some point, it becomes too late, and I think we've reached that point.”

Because the primary was conducted under the gerrymandered maps and the general election will use the 2022 maps, some voters will see different candidates on their November ballot than appeared on their August primary ballot. State Sen. Rick Brattin will remain Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II’s opponent in the midterm election.

"We are going to have a situation now where the primary districts that were used don't match the general election, which isn't ideal," Rostron said.

Cleaver, a Democrat whose 5th District was targeted by the legislature's redistricting effort, said he is ready to move forward under the high court's order.

"The Supreme Court of the land said that the 2022 maps will be used, and until I receive something from God, I guess — I'm trying to think about power over the Supreme Court, and I can't — I'm going by what they've said that the 2022 map is in play," Cleaver said.

Cleaver was pointed in his assessment of the broader redistricting fight.

"It seems as if maybe the order of the day is if you can't convert them, confuse them, so I think that's what has been at play,” Cleaver said. “I've got to say there is an embarrassment to all of this because, unfortunately, this is now international news. It's being broadcast and talked about everywhere.”

Rostron echoed that frustration.

"We ought to just have elections and be able to vote for who will do the best job, and not have it all come down to all this game-playing, strategizing, legal maneuvering and all that," he said.

Rostron said voters will ultimately have two decisions to make on Nov. 3.

"You'll be able to vote on the referendum and what you want the districts to be like in the future. You'll also get to vote for who you want your member of Congress to be for the next two years, and the districts for that will be the same ones that they were in 2024," he said.

Brattin’s office declined an interview request, but his campaign did issue a statement:

“I am disappointed in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision earlier today, which would result in the disenfranchisement of Missouri primary voters and potentially set a dangerous precedent that could allow district changes between the primary and general elections in the future. I am glad that the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has sent a signal about the importance of clearing up this confusion by scheduling arguments on the case for the coming week, and I hope that they will stand up to ensure Missouri voters have certainty that their ballots will be counted.”

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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