JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has declined to certify a referendum petition that would force a statewide vote on Missouri’s gerrymandered congressional district map in the November 2026 election.
During a Tuesday news conference announcing his decision, Hoskins, a Republican, said he ruled the referendum insufficient over the referendum’s constitutionality.
“After careful consideration, I’ve determined the challenge to the new Missouri First congressional map to be insufficient, due to it being unconstitutional,” Hoskins said.
The group that collected the signatures for the referendum petition delivered them to Hoskins’ office on Dec. 9, 2025. Hoskins’ deadline to certify the measure was 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
The petition calls for a referendum on Missouri House Bill 1, a measure that state lawmakers passed during a special legislative session dedicated to redrawing the state’s congressional districts to favor Republicans.
During Tuesday’s conference, Hoskins said the issue was not the number of signatures turned in by the group, but rather the referendum itself. The secretary said under Missouri law, it is unconstitutional for a referendum to challenge a congressional map.
“The Missouri Constitution cannot be interpreted to strip the General Assembly of its authority over redistricting,” Hoskins said.
Hoskins said his decision was supported by state and federal courts, Gov. Mike Kehoe and Attorney General Catherine Hanaway. He said the decision was made based on how he, Missouri courts, his internal counsel and the attorney general interpret state law.
The new map redrew the 5th Congressional District, which covered much of Kansas City, to extend eastward into rural parts of the state, including northern Boone County. Democrat Emanuel Cleaver currently represents the 5th Congressional District, but a group of Republicans are vying for the nomination in the primary in hopes of unseating Cleaver in the November general election, bolstered by the support of new rural voters in the district.
Hoskins has previously said he had concerns over the measure’s constitutionality. He argued that the Missouri Constitution gives the General Assembly — not people — the exclusive power to redraw congressional districts, and that a vote on Missouri’s new map would violate that part of the constitution.
People Not Politicians Missouri, the political campaign committee that said it collected and submitted more than 300,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office in December 2025 for the referendum, has demanded that Hoskins certify the petition.
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Following Hoskins’ announcement, People Not Politicians said it plans to file a lawsuit in response to his declaration that the referendum was insufficient.
“Secretary of State Hoskins is making a last desperate attempt to silence the people’s voice in Missouri,” said Richad von Glahn, the executive director of People Not Politicians. “Courts have consistently held that Congressional redistricting is subject to state constitutional provisions including the right to a referendum. People will have the final say in November and the chance to vote no to politicians desperate power grabs.”
Watch the full news conference
The political campaign committee plans to hold a press briefing on Wednesday, according to a news release.
Hoskins has maintained that the map, which state Republicans have dubbed the “Missouri First Map,” is legally in effect and is the “law of the land.” The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in May that the map does not have to be suspended while the referendum process plays out but that “it is impossible to say” whether it is in effect or not because Hoskins had not determined whether he would certify the referendum petition.
Missouri GOP leaders are pushing to gerrymander Missouri’s congressional map and change how voter-approved measures become laws.
Tuesday’s Missouri 2026 primary election used the redrawn districts.
The court indicated in a unanimous opinion handed down just hours after oral arguments that if Hoskins certifies the referendum petition, the new map would have been retroactively suspended to Dec. 9, 2025, the day the referendum petition was filed.
If Hoskins determines there were not enough valid signatures collected, the court said the map went into effect on Dec. 11, 2025, the day the legislation drawing the map went into effect.
Unofficial data the Secretary of State’s Office submitted in court filings indicated that People Not Politicians gathered enough signatures for the measure. However, Hoskins’ office said that report should not be interpreted as a final determination regarding petition validity or certification.
When KOMU 8 News asked Hoskins why he wouldn’t disclose the number of valid signatures, he called it “a moot point.”
“Whether they had one signature or 500 million signatures, doesn’t really matter because they are unconstitutional,” Hoskins said.
