Missouri’s effort is part of a broader national pattern of mid-decade redistricting battles, with developments in states like California, Indiana, Texas, and Virginia shaping the legal landscape.

A federal lawsuit, brought by Missouri’s attorney general on behalf of Hoskins and the General Assembly, argued that congressional redistricting cannot be subjected to a referendum, and the case was dismissed, with potential for further action.

The referendum effort is backed by People Not Politicians and ties to President Trump’s push for mid-decade redistricting to favor Republicans.

People Not Politicians leads the effort, supported by substantial funding and volunteers collecting signatures from across the state.

The campaign faces pushback from Republican groups, including RNC text campaigns and criticisms from Donald Trump Jr., who weighed in against the referendum.

Missouri’s maneuver is part of a wider wave of mid-decade redistricting sparked by Trump’s push for GOP-drawn maps, with mixed outcomes across states.

Legal questions loom over the referendum, including concerns about constitutionality, ballot wording, and signature validity.

State Republicans and officials challenge the referendum, with Secretary of State Hoskins disputing roughly 100,000 signatures as prematurely collected and the attorney general seeking to block it.

The People Not Politicians-led effort seeks a statewide vote next year by verifying signatures across the state, subject to certification by local authorities and the secretary of state.

Funding for the referendum totals about $5 million from out-of-state groups opposing the map, while pro-map forces have raised over $2 million.

The campaign features substantial national-interest funding and lobbying activity, alongside lawsuits and political maneuvering surrounding Missouri’s redistricting process.

Overall, the Missouri petition is framed as a key battleground in the national struggle over redistricting power ahead of the 2026 elections.

The ultimate outcome of the petitions and related litigation could influence party control of the U.S. House and reshape Missouri’s political balance for years to come.

Missouri’s Republican-controlled legislature approved a new map in September that shifts the Kansas City district toward the GOP, a move that catalyzed the referendum push.

Missouri has not held a congressional redistricting referendum in nearly a century; the last notable vote was in 1922 when districts were rejected.

To qualify for the ballot, the petition must secure at least 106,000 valid signatures from registered voters across six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts.

Missouri’s constitution allows such referendums if enough timely signatures are gathered, a mechanism historically used only a limited number of times.

Signatures must be certified by the secretary of state by a July deadline, though verification could close earlier depending on process progress.

The attorney general has accused campaign-linked firm Advanced Micro Targeting of illicit activity, which the firm denies, while she also filed a federal lawsuit over the referendum’s legality.

A federal judge rejected an attempt to halt the referendum process, preserving the secretary of state’s authority to rule on constitutionality if needed.

Missouri voters gathered more than 300,000 signatures to suspend the state’s new congressional map, far exceeding the roughly 110,000 required to trigger a statewide referendum on its fate next year.

If certified, the petition would force a public vote to decide whether the map takes effect, potentially delaying or altering the 2026 congressional map and changing Missouri’s political landscape.

A successful referendum could delay or derail the new districts, including the Kansas City-area seat that had leaned Democratic, depending on the outcome of the ballot next year.

The signature-gathering firm responsible, AMT, is facing legal disputes alleging coordination to undermine the referendum campaign, which AMT counters with a federal lawsuit.

Campaign finance is intense on both sides, with national party money backing or opposing the map and Republicans warning against out-of-state influence in Missouri’s process.