On a warm September day in 2025, the steps of Missouri’s Capitol in Jefferson City pulsed with the energy of thousands. They’d come from all corners of the state—some carrying handmade signs, others simply their voices—to protest what many saw as a brazen attempt by the Republican-led legislature to redraw congressional maps in their favor. The demonstration, according to St. Louis Public Radio, was one of the largest the Capitol had seen in recent years, signaling just how high the political stakes had become.
At the heart of this storm is Leann Villaluz, a Kansas City resident who has become a familiar face in neighborhoods across the city. For weeks, she’s been knocking on doors, talking to everyone from retirees to young families, asking them to sign a petition that could put Missouri’s new congressional map to a public vote. “There’s a sense of resentment, even to regular voters who aren’t as involved,” Villaluz told KCUR. “We have to pick up the slack for representatives who have been elected to do their simple duty and carry out the will of the voters. Instead, they think that we don’t know what’s best for ourselves.”
Missouri’s redistricting controversy is part of a much larger national chess match. After former President Donald Trump kicked off a nationwide redistricting battle in July 2025, Missouri became only the second state, after Texas, to gerrymander its legislative representation in a bid to maintain Republican control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterms, as reported by NPR. Other states—North Carolina, Indiana, Florida, Ohio, and Kansas—are said to be watching closely, while California is moving in the opposite direction, considering a constitutional amendment that would tilt its maps toward Democrats.
Missouri’s new map, signed into law in late September by Republican Governor Mike Kehoe, makes a bold play: it targets the seat of longtime Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II in Kansas City, aiming to split the city into three Republican-leaning districts. “Whatever your vote is, it’s going to be diluted with the maps, and nobody wants that,” Villaluz said, reflecting the concern that has rippled through her community.
The fightback has been swift and determined. People Not Politicians Missouri, a grassroots group with around 3,000 volunteers, has been working tirelessly to collect more than 106,000 signatures by December 11, 2025. Their goal: force a referendum on the 2026 ballot that would let voters decide whether to keep or reject the new map. As of mid-October, the group had already gathered more than 100,000 signatures, according to NPR, but they’re not letting up. Villaluz has canvassed five neighborhoods and even taken her petition to a Chappell Roan concert, saying, “Just about anyone that stops and hears what the petition is about is ready and willing to sign.”
But gathering signatures is only half the battle. The group faces fierce resistance from top state officials. Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins initially rejected the referendum petition, then reversed course and approved it in October. However, he insists that signatures collected before his approval are invalid. “The process is clear,” Hoskins said in a press release. “Every Missourian deserves confidence that ballot measures follow the law—not out-of-state agendas or confusion campaigns. Missouri values fairness and integrity, and this process reflects that.”
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has taken the fight to federal court, arguing that a referendum on redistricting violates both the U.S. and Missouri constitutions. The legal wrangling doesn’t end there. Multiple lawsuits have been filed challenging the new districts, and the Democratic National Committee has stepped in to support the referendum effort with additional funds and staff.
Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians Missouri, minced no words in response to Hoskins. “Our campaign has gathered signatures at a historic pace—I’ve never seen Missourians unite and mobilize this quickly,” von Glahn said in a statement to KCUR. “We will not be intimidated or distracted. This referendum will qualify, and Missourians—not politicians—will decide the future of fair representation in our state.”
For some, the fight is deeply personal. Rebeca Amezcua-Hogan, a Kansas City Council candidate and plaintiff in a lawsuit aimed at blocking the use of the new map, argues that mid-decade redistricting without a new census is unconstitutional and would dilute her voting power. “My own voting power would be watered down,” she told KCUR. “I would feel like I’m not being represented. And I think that at least personally, for the issues that are close to my heart that I’ve been working on for years, it would be incredibly discouraging.” Amezcua-Hogan worries that splitting Kansas City into three districts will make it even harder for the city to compete for federal resources. “Kansas City is already at a point where we’re dealing with lack of affordable housing, lack of mental health resources, lack of transportation,” she said. “It already feels like we’re fighting an uphill battle, and that uphill battle is only going to get worse.”
While the new map sailed through the Republican-dominated legislature during a special session from September 8–10, not all Republicans are on board. Fifteen GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Jon Patterson, voted against it. Many dissenters represent areas most affected by the redistricting. Republican Rep. Bill Allen, who represents a politically split district in Kansas City’s northland, voiced his disappointment: “I think I heard from one or two constituents that wanted me to vote in favor, and almost every other one that I heard was in opposition,” Allen told NPR. “The job of the representative is to represent the district, not the party, certainly not the president. Just the district that I represent, the 39,000 people. Their will is my responsibility.”
Villaluz, undeterred by the legal and political headwinds, plans to keep collecting signatures until the December deadline. “I feel that Missouri is used as a guinea pig by the GOP,” she said. “They think that the average Missouri voter is dumber than we are, and they think that they can get away with a lot more here in a red flyover state, but that’s not the case.” She’s confident that Missouri’s voters won’t stand by quietly and believes, “they’ll get the last word.”
The outcome of this battle will reverberate far beyond Missouri’s borders. With national parties, local activists, and everyday citizens all staking their claim, the fight over Missouri’s congressional map is shaping up to be a defining moment in the ongoing struggle for fair representation in American politics.
