Missouri mid-decade remap targets Kansas City voters

The curated articles discuss Missouri's special legislative session focused on remapping congressional districts around Kansas City and making it harder to pass citizen-led ballot initiatives. Lawmakers and officials push measures that change long-standing processes for redistricting and direct democracy. Legal, civic, and public opposition arises against these moves.

Republicans advance a congressional map that divides Kansas City voters among three GOP-leaning districts. Lawmakers also move to require statewide ballot measures to gain majority support in all congressional districts, not just statewide. The NAACP files a lawsuit to stop what it calls an unconstitutional session for mid-decade redistricting. Public hearings see widespread testimony against both the new map and changes to the initiative petition process. Some Kansas politicians call for similar redistricting, inspired by the Missouri model.

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NO. 1: JEFF COLYER WANTS TO GERRYMANDER KANSAS FOR TRUMP. CAN IT WORK THIS TIME? | OPINION

Kansas is already gerrymandered. | Published September 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Yvette Walker

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Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka, Kansas. By Jill Toyoshiba

NO. 2: SHOULD KANSAS GERRYMANDER ITS CONGRESSIONAL MAPS? GOVERNOR CANDIDATES ARE DIVIDED

As Missouri kicks off a partisan redistricting blitz, some opportunistic Kansas Republicans seeking to become the state’s next governor say it’s time to follow suit. | Published September 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe enters the House chamber ahead of his State of the State speech. In February, he signed and executive order banning DEI initiatives from all state agencies. By Tim Bommel

NO. 3: MISSOURI GOVERNOR’S DIRECT DEMOCRACY LIMITS WOULD KILL MOST BALLOT MEASURES, EXPERTS SAY

Ahead of the historic election that legalized abortion in Missouri, Steve Werner knocked on a thousand doors in the Kansas City area. | Published September 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kacen Bayless

NO. 4: DON’T LIKE GERRYMANDERING? THERE’S A PATH TO MORE FAIR MISSOURI ELECTIONS | OPINION

As an outsider looking into Missouri politics, it seems like their GOP politicians have made it their priority to oppose the will of the people. | Published September 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Richard Pund

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NO. 5: DOES GOV. KEHOE’S ‘MISSOURI FIRST’ MAP PUT MISSOURIANS’ VOICES LAST? | OPINION

The Missouri General Assembly convened a special session this week to gerrymander the state’s congressional map, and to curtail the state’s initiative petition process. | Published September 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by The Kansas City Editorial Board

Hundreds of people attended a Labor Day rally put together by several labor unions and organizations, on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, at Mill Street Park in Kansas City. By Dominick Williams

NO. 6: NAACP SUES TO BLOCK MISSOURI GOVERNOR’S ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ GERRYMANDERING PLAN

The Missouri chapter of the NAACP on Wednesday sued to block a Republican attempt to gerrymander the state’s congressional map. | Published September 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kacen Bayless

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Rep. Dirk Deaton, a Noel Republican, speaks while presenting a redistricting plan to fellow lawmakers on drawing new maps to redistrict Missouri's congressional districts at the Missouri Capitol on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Jefferson City. By Emily Curiel

NO. 7: DESPITE FIERY OPPOSITION, MISSOURI GOP ADVANCES GERRYMANDERED MAP, DIRECT DEMOCRACY LIMITS

Missouri Republican lawmakers late Thursday voted to advance a new, gerrymandered congressional map despite hours of fiery public testimony against the proposal. | Published September 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kacen Bayless

NO. 8: IF KANSANS ARE LIBERTARIAN, WHAT ABOUT GOP SOCIALIST POLICIES, ROGER MARSHALL? | OPINION

One thing about Roger Marshall: | Published September 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joel Mathis

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.