AP —
Missouri’s top election official has rejected a citizens’ petition seeking a statewide referendum on new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump.
Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new US House map approved by the Republican-led state Legislature. But Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins asserted Tuesday that the petition is void because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums.
The number of petition signatures submitted doesn’t matter, Hoskins said, because “challenging a congressional map is unconstitutional under Missouri law.”
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALBERTO MIER/CNN/@SENATORBERGER VIA X/CALIFORNIA AND MISSOURI STATE LEGISLATURES
