Missouri Voters Deserve a Voice on Congressional Maps— Not Political Delay

On Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court quickly made clear what we already knew: the Secretary of State has everything he needs to certify the signatures and let the people of Missouri vote. 

Over 305,000 Missourians signed their names because they believe their voice should matter. They exceeded the threshold. They met the deadline. And they are still waiting. 

Every day that certification is delayed is a day that politicians are choosing their own power over the will of the people. Every day puts the legitimacy of Missouri’s congressional elections in August and November in jeopardy. Every day risks millions of dollars of taxpayer money should the Secretary of State continue to delay certification and spend our tax dollars on an election applying illegitimate maps that the court may later require a do-over.  

We are asking the Secretary of State to do the job he was elected by Missouri voters to do: certify the signatures. The signatures were submitted in December, and he has everything he needs to do so now and give Missouri voters the clarity in the process we deserve.

Here is what is at stake: The maps drawn by Missouri legislators last year carve up Kansas City — splitting neighbors, severing communities, and pushing 70,000 people of color into districts where their votes are designed to be drowned out. These lines are not imaginary. They carve up neighbors, neighborhoods, and communities of similar needs and opportunities where distinct federal resources are critical to solve for challenges that are uniquely urban, or, distinctly rural. This is not a technical or procedural dispute. It is a question of whether Black Kansas Citians and rural Missourians get representation that gets them.  

On Tuesday, we stood alongside more than 300 people who showed up in Jefferson City to say: enough. We traveled from the far corners of the state, stood outside a courthouse in the hot sun, and reminded our government what the people want: to exercise our right to put this on the ballot. We are so proud to have stood in solidarity with you, and we are carrying that energy forward.

Fundación Health Forward believes that the people of Missouri have the right to legislate directly through referendum. That right is not a technicality. It is the foundation of our lawmaking process and a necessary check on the power of politicians.

As our Chief Policy and Impact Officer McClain Bryant Macklin said at the rally:

“We like to say that democracy requires action. It is not inevitable. Democracy is a process, a struggle — a garden that needs nurturing and attention. And it’s the days like today that remind me of the sheer strength we have when we come together.”

We are not done. We must keep showing up — for fair maps, for every Missourian’s voice, for our rights and for the democracy we believe is worth fighting for. We must hold the Secretary of State accountable to do the work he was elected to do.