Missouri Democrats to respond to House approved redrawn maps
Jazsmin Halliburton
(Editor’s note, 9/10: The story corrects the day of the week that the state senate will begin taking up legislation in the special session.)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Democrats will hold a rally and press conference on Wednesday in response to state Republicans taking one step closer to officially redrawing Missouri’s congressional maps.
This comes after the House of Representatives approved Gov. Mike Kehoe’s “Missouri First” map Tuesday in a 90 to 65 vote. The approved map would change Congressman Emanuel Cleaver’s fifth district in Kansas City by cutting the city into three districts.
Several groups, including Missouri Jobs with Justice, Indivisible and the Missouri Democratic Party, plan to rally on the south steps of the Capitol.
According to a press release from the Missouri Democrats, this decision came despite bipartisan opposition and ignored the testimony of thousands of Missourians who voiced concern over the maps.
The “Missouri First” initiative by Gov. Kehoe arose after the White House suggested that Missouri should redraw its map — a process that typically occurs only after the census. Republicans are aiming to protect their narrow majority in the U.S. House with mid-term elections coming up next year.
The Missouri House of Representatives also voted Tuesday to send initiative petition reform, along with redistricting bills, to the Senate in a 98 to 58 vote. Joint House Resolution three would require all initiative petitions to get approval from a majority of voters across the state and from each district.
The state Senate will be taking up both the redistricting and initiative petition reform bills at noon Wednesday.