A Cole County judge rewrote a ballot summary for a potential referendum on Missouri's new redistricting plan.
Soon after lawmakers passed new congressional lines aimed at ousting Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, opponents of that plan filed a referendum to place the new map up for a vote in November.
Secretary of State Denny Hoskins then wrote this ballot summary:
Do the people of the state of Missouri approve the act of the General Assembly entitled "House Bill No. 1 (2025 Second Extraordinary Session)," which repeals Missouri's existing gerrymandered congressional plan that protects incumbent politicians, and replaces it with new congressional boundaries that keep more cities and counties intact, are more compact, and better reflect statewide voting patterns?
The group behind the referendum, People Not Politicians, sued Hoskins, contending that the summary was insufficient and unfair. Hoskins' attorneys conceded that the phrases "gerrymandered" and "protects incumbent politicians" were argumentative, which prompted Cole County Judge Brian Stumpe to remove those lines in a ruling delivered on Friday afternoon.
Stumpe also excised the phrase "better reflects statewide voting patterns," writing that the line is "intentionally argumentative and likely to create prejudice, and is therefore stricken from the summary." He kept the description of the new map as "keeping more cities and counties intact" and as being "more compact."
The new summary for the referendum now reads:
Do the people of the state of Missouri approve the act of the General Assembly entitled "House Bill No. 1 (2025 Second Extraordinary Session)," which repeals Missouri's congressional plan, and replaces it with new congressional boundaries that keep more cities and counties intact, and are more compact?
People Not Politicians' Richard von Glahn said his group hadn't decided yet whether it will appeal Stumpe's ruling. The group noted in a statement, though, that Stumpe's ruling may foreshadow "likely legal defeat for the state in an ongoing legal dispute on whether [the map] passed during the 2025 special session" can go into effect before a public vote.
"While the ballot summary case does not officially determine the suspension of HB1, ballot language that declares that a yes vote on the referendum would 'repeal Missouri's congressional plan, and replace it with new congressional boundaries' does logically require that the current plan must be different from the map that would be enacted if voters vote yes," People Not Politicians' statement said.
Stumpe is also the judge in the case over whether the new map didn't go into effect after People Not Politicians turned in signatures. He has yet to rule on that case.
A spokeswoman for Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said: "The Secretary of State and local election officials around the state continue to process the proposed referendum on the Missouri First Map. No decision has been made on certification yet.
"If the referendum does eventually qualify for the ballot, Missourians will benefit from a fair ballot summary thanks to today's ruling by Judge Stumpe. As the court rightly recognized, the Missouri First Map splits fewer counties and municipalities, and is thus more compact, than the prior congressional map."
Hoskins has yet to say if the redistricting referendum will make the November ballot. Referendum proponents say they have enough signatures for a statewide vote.
Copyright 2026 St. Louis Public Radio
