Last month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that redrew the state's electoral map to give Republicans five more stronghold districts. Missouri quickly followed suit, and a bill that would eliminate the state's lone Democratic congressional seat passed last week and is now awaiting the governor's signature. However, Missourians are fighting back. Two groups have launched petitions to gather enough signatures to force a referendum on the redistricting plan.

Following is a statement from Tianna Mays, legal director of Democracy Defenders Fund, regarding the ongoing plot to redraw congressional districts and give the GOP an advantage in the 2026 election cycle:

"Republican leaders are waging a coordinated attack on democracy through gerrymandering and other voter suppression tactics. The goal is simple: entrench minority rule by silencing dissent and stripping voters of power.

“In Missouri, that means dismantling Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's district by slicing up Kansas City's Black community and scattering it across rural, Republican strongholds. It's a blatant attempt to dilute Black voting power, something the Voting Rights Act outlawed more than 50 years ago.

“But voters are fighting back. More than 800 volunteers with People Not Politicians are working to put this rigged map on the November 2026 ballot so the people, not politicians, have the final say.

“Congress could do its part by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and investigate these coordinated abuses before more damage is done."

###

Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state, and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.