Missouri secretary of state rejects referendum effort targeting new congressional map

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition effort seeking a public referendum on the state’s new congressional map on August 4, 2026, the day of Missouri’s primary election. Supporters said they had submitted enough signatures and indicated they may challenge the decision in state court.

The rejection leaves the immediate status of the referendum effort in dispute while Missouri voters are already using the newly drawn districts. The map covers the state’s eight congressional districts and was drawn after a special legislative session.

A referendum fight over districts already in use

The redistricting dispute concerns whether Missouri voters will receive another opportunity to approve or reject the new congressional boundaries. The districts were used in the August primary, meaning the secretary of state’s decision came as candidates and voters were operating under the new map.

The Missouri Supreme Court had previously upheld the map in a May 2026 ruling referenced by Gov. Mike Kehoe. In a May 12 statement, the governor’s office said the court had upheld the new congressional map and confirmed that voters would use the newly drawn districts in the August 2026 election.

That earlier court ruling did not resolve the separate question of the referendum petition. Supporters’ assertion that they submitted enough signatures is part of the dispute, but the available reporting does not establish the precise signature shortfall cited by the secretary of state or provide the complete legal rationale for the rejection.

Supporters may challenge Hoskins’ decision in state court. The timing and final status of any lawsuit were not established in the available reports, so the rejection should not be treated as necessarily ending the matter.

Voters reject several constitutional amendments

The map dispute unfolded alongside a primary ballot that included several Republican-backed constitutional amendments. Missouri voters rejected those measures, including Amendment 5, which would have eliminated the state income tax.

About 83% of voters rejected Amendment 5, according to Axios’ report of the results. The measure’s defeat means the proposed elimination of the state income tax did not advance through that ballot question.

The other rejected amendments also involved portions of the legislature’s constitutional agenda. The results provide a statewide election signal about those proposals, but they do not by themselves establish that Missouri voters rejected the Republican Party or Gov. Kehoe.

What happens next

The next known step in the redistricting dispute is the potential filing of a state-court challenge by referendum supporters. No final court timetable was available as of the reporting in the source material.

For Missouri residents, the practical issue is whether the new congressional districts will remain the operative framework for future representation or face another legal or political challenge. The map is currently being used for the 2026 primary, but its long-term status should not be assumed to be permanent.

The primary also included elections for the Missouri General Assembly. All 163 Missouri House seats were up for election, while about half of the 34 state Senate seats were on the ballot. Those contests occurred against the backdrop of the referendum fight and the rejected constitutional amendments, giving voters decisions on both legislative representation and statewide policy proposals.