WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (DC Times Online) — Missouri’s congressional candidates are heading toward the November general election under a map that may not match the districts used in the Aug. 4 primary, after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a federal judge’s order allowing a newer, Trump-backed map to take effect.
The Supreme Court issued a brief, unsigned order Sept. 10. The order stopped U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark from directing Missouri to use the newer districts. The order did not publicly note any dissents.
The dispute centers on which congressional map will govern the general election — and whether Missouri can switch maps after candidates have already run in a primary.
What happened in the primary?
Missouri used the newer congressional districts in its Aug. 4 primary. Candidates who won those contests were certified for the November ballot under the district numbers used in the primary.
The shape of those districts, however, could change before the general election. That creates uncertainty for candidates and voters because a candidate who won a primary in one district could face a different set of voters under another map.
The supplied election records do not identify the affected candidates or provide the primary vote totals.
Why is the older map back in question?
Opponents of the newer map submitted more than 300,000 signatures for a referendum. The referendum would let Missouri voters decide whether to approve the new congressional districts.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition Aug. 4, the last day on which he could do so, according to the litigation record. The Missouri Supreme Court later overturned that decision.
On Sept. 3, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the petition was legal, sufficient and filed on time. The court said the newer map would not take effect unless voters approved it at the November 2026 general election.
The ruling left the map adopted after the 2020 census in force for the November election. Hoskins designated the referendum as Proposition A on the ballot.
Why did the U.S. Supreme Court become involved?
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The state argued that changing congressional districts between the primary and general election would violate federal rights and disrupt the election process.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to disturb the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling on Sept. 8. Soon afterward, Clark issued a temporary restraining order directing Missouri to use the newer districts. Clark warned that using different maps could raise questions about the candidates nominated in the primary and the votes cast in that election. He also wrote that widespread voter confusion would follow.
The Supreme Court’s Sept. 10 order blocked Clark’s order. That makes it likely that Missouri will use the post-2020-census map in November unless another court order or the referendum changes the situation.
What remains unsettled?
The legal dispute has produced conflicting instructions during a short period before the general election. The Supreme Court’s latest action blocks the federal judge’s directive, but the supplied records do not give the full text of the Sept. 10 order or explain every step Missouri election officials must take.
The records also do not specify how ballots will be administered if district boundaries change, or whether candidates certified under the primary map will be reassigned to differently shaped districts.
For now, the key question for Missouri’s congressional contests is whether voters will choose among candidates under the districts used in the primary or under the older map that the Missouri Supreme Court said remains in force. Proposition A is scheduled to appear on the November ballot, but the supplied records do not establish the precise voting procedure or timing beyond its placement on that ballot.
