A Cole County judge ruled Monday that the Missouri Secretary of State's Office rightfully threw out some signatures gathered for a referendum petition that would force a statewide vote on Missouri's gerrymandered congressional district map.
The case centered around whether signatures gathered after Missouri lawmakers passed a bill to redraw the map, but before Gov. Mike Kehoe signed it into law, should count. Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled that those roughly 32,000 signatures should not.
While plaintiff People Not Politicians Missouri, which collected the signatures, argued that Missouri law says any act of the General Assembly can be subject to referendum, Limbaugh wrote that only applies to approved legislation, not bills. The governor has to sign a bill before it becomes law.
Referendums give 90 days from the General Assembly passing legislation for citizens to gather signatures to stop that legislation state from becoming law until citizens get to vote on it. Lawmakers passed the gerrymandered map on Sept. 12, 2025, during a special session Kehoe called at the urging of President Donald Trump.
Kehoe did not sign the bill redrawing Missouri's U.S. House district lines into law until Sept. 28, 2025. People Not Politicians gathered about 32,600 signatures on or before that date for referendum petitions that were rejected by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, according to Limbaugh's ruling.
Hoskins approved a referendum petition for circulation that People Not Politicians submitted after Kehoe signed the bill into law.
While Monday's ruling delivers a loss to People Not Politicians, Executive Director Richard Von Glahn said the decision will not make a difference because his organization gathered enough signatures after Sept. 28 to meet the threshold required to place its referendum on the ballot in November.
However, whether the measure ends up on the ballot is still in question after Hoskins refused to certify People Not Politicians' referendum petition because he believes it is unconstitutional.
A judge is set to hear arguments on Wednesday in a trial that will determine whether Hoskins can block the measure from the ballot. The decision in that trial is expected to be appealed, and the Missouri Supreme Court has directed the judge to move swiftly in issuing a ruling.
