Overview
- Secretary of State Denny Hoskins announced on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, that he would not certify People Not Politicians’ referendum because he says the Missouri and U.S. constitutions bar referendums on congressional redistricting.
- The petition drive submitted more than 300,000 signatures and local election officials verified well over the roughly 106,000–111,000 signatures normally required to qualify a veto referendum for the ballot.
- Because Hoskins waited until the statutory deadline to deny certification, Missouri’s Aug. 4 primary was conducted under the new 'Missouri First' map that reshaped the Kansas City-based 5th District and split Troost Avenue.
- People Not Politicians filed an immediate lawsuit challenging Hoskins’ ruling and the state’s highest court previously held that a later certification by the secretary would pause the map pending a public vote, leaving the legal outcome and its effect on November elections unresolved.
- The dispute is part of a wider Republican mid-decade redistricting effort encouraged by President Trump that has produced heavy litigation nationwide and could change which voters and candidates compete in specific Missouri districts this fall.