🗳️MISSOURI GOT TWO MAPS, TWO COURTS AND ONE ELECTION... WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? 😩

Baby, Missouri has turned congressional redistricting into political musical chairs, except instead of somebody losing a chair, somebody could lose a seat in Congress.

And before your eyes glaze over because I said “redistricting,” stay with me. I'm going to translate this mess into regular-people English.

Missouri Republicans approved a new congressional map in 2025 as part of a national push to redraw congressional districts before the 2026 midterm elections. The new map could potentially help Republicans win seven of Missouri's eight U.S. House seats, instead of the six they currently hold. One of the biggest changes targeted the Kansas City-area district represented by longtime Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II.

Basically:

“We don't like how the districts are behaving, so we're rearranging the furniture.”

Okay then. 😂

But Missouri voters opposing the map said, NOT SO FAST.

A group called People Not Politicians gathered enough signatures to force a statewide referendum on the new map.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected that effort, arguing that congressional redistricting wasn't subject to Missouri's referendum process.

Then the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously said otherwise.

The court ruled September 3 that the referendum petition was legal, sufficient and timely. Because of that referendum, the court determined that the new 2025 map never took effect and ordered Missouri to use its 2022 congressional map for the November 2026 election unless voters eventually approve the new map.

Seems settled, right?

HAHAHAHAHA.

You must be new to American politics. 😭

Republicans went to the U.S. Supreme Court trying to revive the new map. Justice Brett Kavanaugh initially declined to block the Missouri Supreme Court's decision.

Then, roughly 30 minutes later, a federal district judge in a completely separate case ordered Missouri to do basically the opposite and use the NEW map. 

Excuse me?

One court: USE THE OLD MAP.

Another court: USE THE NEW MAP.

Election workers:

“SO WHICH DAMN MAP DO Y'ALL WANT US TO PRINT?!” 😂

And this wasn't some little theoretical law-school debate.

Election officials were preparing actual ballots for actual voters in an election that was rapidly approaching. For roughly two days, Missouri officials were caught between conflicting orders while deadlines for military and overseas ballots were getting dangerously close.

The U.S. Supreme Court finally stepped in again on September 10 and stayed the federal judge's order.

So, as things stand now, Missouri is preparing the November congressional election using the OLD 2022 map. 

But don't put the popcorn away.

The underlying legal battle isn't completely dead. An expedited federal appeal is still moving through the courts, and Missouri voters are also expected to have their say on the controversial new map through the November referendum.

🚨 NOW HERE'S WHY LADY RED SAYS YOU SHOULD CARE

You might be sitting in Chicago saying:

“Lady Red, Missouri ain't got nothing to do with me.”

YES IT DOES.

Because this isn't really just about Missouri.

Control of the U.S. House is tight, and changing congressional boundaries can change which party has the advantage in individual districts. Missouri's new map was specifically designed to improve Republican prospects in another congressional seat.

And Missouri isn't the only state where politicians have been fighting over congressional maps between censuses.

That's what makes this bigger than lines on a map.

Those lines determine which voters get grouped together, which candidates represent them and potentially which party controls Congress.

So when politicians start moving those lines around like they're rearranging tables at the family reunion...

PAY ATTENTION.

Because somehow Auntie went to the bathroom and came back sitting in another congressional district. 😭

And here's my question:

Should politicians EVER be allowed to redraw congressional districts in the middle of the decade primarily because the new map could help their party win more seats?

Because whether the people doing it have an R or a D behind their names, voters might want to ask one very simple question:

Are y'all drawing districts for us... or drawing districts for yourselves? 👀

730 BOOM RADIO

IT HITS DIFFERENT. EVERY TIME. BOOM! 💥