Proposition A asks voters whether Missouri should use the congressional district map the legislature passed in September 2025. A yes vote approves the new map; a no vote keeps the districts drawn in 2022.
Whatever the outcome, the Nov. 3 congressional races are being run on the 2022 map. If voters approve Proposition A, the 2025 map would first be used in the 2028 elections.
The legislature passed the map as House Bill 1 during a special session in September 2025, and Gov. Mike Kehoe signed it. It redraws all eight districts mid-decade, which is unusual; most states redraw once after each census. The largest change is in Kansas City, which the new map splits among three districts. Under the 2022 map, most of the city sits in the 5th District, held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. The new lines would make that seat likely to elect a Republican.
The group People Not Politicians gathered about 305,000 signatures to force a referendum, which suspends a law until voters decide it. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition, arguing that congressional maps are not subject to referendum. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Sept. 3 that the referendum was valid, ordered it onto the ballot, and barred use of the new map unless voters approve it. Federal courts weighed in through September before the 2022 map was settled for this election.
The ballot title describes the new map as keeping more counties intact, which is a point its supporters make. Supporters, including Kehoe, who has called it the “Missouri First Map,” and Republican legislative leaders, say it splits fewer counties than the 2022 map and better reflects the state’s voters. The Missouri Republican Party is organizing a campaign for a yes vote.
Opponents say the map was drawn mid-decade to gain a seat for one party, at the urging of the White House, and that dividing Kansas City three ways dilutes the voting power of its residents. People Not Politicians leads the no campaign.
Proposition A also interacts with Amendment 6. If voters reject the map and approve Amendment 6, lawmakers would likely need 80% of each chamber to pass a similar map before the next census.
ON THE BALLOT
Official ballot title:
Do the people of the state of Missouri approve the act of the General Assembly entitled “House Bill No. 1 (2025 Second Extraordinary Session),” which repeals Missouri’s existing congressional plan, and replaces it with new congressional boundaries that keep more counties intact?
A YES VOTE approves the 2025 congressional map, to take effect for the 2028 elections.
A NO VOTE keeps the congressional districts enacted in 2022.
COST: State and local governments estimate no costs or savings. No impact on taxes.
HOW IT GOT HERE: House Bill 1, passed in the September 2025 special session; referred to voters by petition; ordered onto the ballot by the Missouri Supreme Court Sept. 3, 2026.