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Volunteer describes collecting signatures for petition on Missouri redistricting

Volunteer describes collecting signatures for petition on Missouri redistricting
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Organizers working to turn back Missouri’s congressional redistricting map spoke Tuesday about collecting signatures to put the effort to a vote by citizens.

People Not Politicians submitted more than 300,000 signatures Tuesday to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office. The signatures hope to force a statewide vote on redistricting approved earlier this year by Missouri politicians.

KSHB 41 anchor Caitlin Knute spoke with one of the volunteers behind the effort.

Volunteer describes collecting signatures for petition on Missouri redistricting

“I think people in rural areas want to follow the Constitution, and I think it was pretty clear this was not done within the parameters of the Constitution,” volunteer Elizabeth Franklin said.

Redistricting typically occurs after a census every 10 years, but that wasn’t the case this year in Missouri. Critics on both sides of the aisle note that it splits Kansas City into three districts, lumping parts of the city in with much more rural areas.

A spokesperson for the Missouri Secretary of State’s office confirmed receipt of 691 boxes of signatures.

“The elections division will proceed with scanning, counting and sorting the sheets for verification by local election authorities,” the spokesperson said.