Posted on May 12, 2022
Missouri’s waylaid congressional redistricting saga hits another roadblock
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Missouri lawmakers continue to struggle to compromise on redrawing Missouri’s eight congressional districts.
Missouri’s beleaguered congressional redistricting process is facing yet another delay.
Senators were supposed to hold a hearing on a map the Missouri House passed on Monday. But that meeting got postponed until Thursday afternoon after the Senate spent most of Wednesday dealing with contentious items.
They include a proposal from Sen. Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo, that would make it more difficult for constitutional amendments to make it into the Missouri Constitution. The proposal, a priority for Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, would make organizers of constitutional ballot items get more signatures — and require at least a two-thirds majority for implementation instead of a simple majority.
“I think setting a little bit higher bar for [constitutional amendments] is important,” Crawford said during debate over the proposal.
Missouri’s beleaguered congressional redistricting process is facing yet another delay.
Senators were supposed to hold a hearing on a map the Missouri House passed on Monday. But that meeting got postponed until Thursday afternoon after the Senate spent most of Wednesday dealing with contentious items.
They include a proposal from Sen. Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo, that would make it more difficult for constitutional amendments to make it into the Missouri Constitution. The proposal, a priority for Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, would make organizers of constitutional ballot items get more signatures — and require at least a two-thirds majority for implementation instead of a simple majority.
“I think setting a little bit higher bar for [constitutional amendments] is important,” Crawford said during debate over the proposal.
Missouri’s waylaid congressional redistricting saga hits another roadblock
Posted from kcur.org
Congress
Voting
Elections
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."U.S. District Judge John Ross denied Berry’s request for a temporary restraining order earlier this week, writing the “balance of equities and public interest … strongly favor this Court affording Missouri’s legislative and judicial bodies every opportunity to legally apportion the congressional districts based on the 2020 Census.”
But Ross did grant a request to convene a three-judge federal panel that could draw Missouri’s map if lawmakers fail to pass one by Friday. Travis Crum of Washington University School of Law has said that panel will likely create a “least changed” map that makes minor adjustments based on population.
If lawmakers fail to pass a map by Friday, the three-judge panel would have to work quickly to create a map so that elections officials could meet deadlines — including one in June to mail out military ballots.
Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, said that he wants the issue of the maps to be resolved — but the clock keeps ticking toward Friday evening adjournment.
"Hopefully we get a chance to discuss it again, but we are running out of time," Hegeman said."
..."U.S. District Judge John Ross denied Berry’s request for a temporary restraining order earlier this week, writing the “balance of equities and public interest … strongly favor this Court affording Missouri’s legislative and judicial bodies every opportunity to legally apportion the congressional districts based on the 2020 Census.”
But Ross did grant a request to convene a three-judge federal panel that could draw Missouri’s map if lawmakers fail to pass one by Friday. Travis Crum of Washington University School of Law has said that panel will likely create a “least changed” map that makes minor adjustments based on population.
If lawmakers fail to pass a map by Friday, the three-judge panel would have to work quickly to create a map so that elections officials could meet deadlines — including one in June to mail out military ballots.
Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, said that he wants the issue of the maps to be resolved — but the clock keeps ticking toward Friday evening adjournment.
"Hopefully we get a chance to discuss it again, but we are running out of time," Hegeman said."
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