Missouri is expected to become the second state to officially redraw its congressional district boundaries ahead of the 2026 elections. A bill that aims to net one additional Republican U.S. House seat awaits Gov. Mike Kehoe’s signature after the legislature gave it final approval on Sept. 12.
The new map would draw the state’s 5th District, a Kansas City-area seat held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, into the surrounding Republican-held rural districts, producing seven total Republican-leaning districts and leaving one Democratic-leaning district in the St. Louis region. Republicans currently represent six of the state’s U.S. House districts, and Democrats represent two.
The Missouri House approved the map change by a 90-65 vote on Sept. 9, and the Missouri Senate followed with a 21-11 vote on Sept. 12. Gov. Kehoe first proposed the new congressional map on Aug. 29, stating, “Missouri’s conservative, common-sense values should be truly represented at all levels of government, and the Missouri First Map delivers just that.”
Rep. Cleaver said in a statement, “Together, in the courts and in the streets, we will continue pushing to ensure the law is upheld, justice prevails, and this unconstitutional gerrymander is defeated.”
Missouri would follow Texas, the first state that redrew its map this year, and where Republicans expect to net five additional seats in the 2026 elections. President Donald Trump (R) in July 2025 urged Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional district boundaries to help retain the Republican U.S. House majority. Since then, both Republican and Democratic state leaders across the country have launched mid-decade redistricting efforts to draw friendlier districts for their parties.
California is the state closest to producing a friendlier map for Democrats. On Aug. 21, the legislature approved a new map that aims to offset the Texas change by netting five additional Democratic seats. California voters would need to approve a constitutional amendment to adopt the new map through 2030. That special election will be on Nov. 4, 2025.
Missouri voters may also be asked to decide the fate of their state’s new map. The group People Not Politicians announced a veto referendum effort against the redistricting plan. If it gathers enough signatures within 90 days, the map will be subject to voters’ approval.
A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. There are 23 states that allow citizens to initiate veto referendums, including Missouri. In Missouri, the signatures required to place a veto referendum on the ballot are based on the number of votes cast for governor in the state’s most recent gubernatorial election. In two-thirds of Missouri’s congressional districts, proponents must collect signatures equal to 5% of the gubernatorial vote for veto referendums. For Missouri, that is equal to a minimum of 106,384 valid signatures to appear on the ballot in 2026.