Missouri election chief rejects bid to hold public vote on Trump-backed congressional districts

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition for a statewide referendum regarding new congressional districts backed by Donald Trump. Despite supporters submitting hundreds of thousands of signatures to force a November election on the Republican-led state Legislature's U.S. House map, Hoskins asserted the move is unconstitutional. He stated that congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums. Consequently, the group supporting the referendum effort intends to challenge this decision in court.