Missouri voters face continued uncertainty over which congressional map will govern November’s election, Boone County clerk Brianna Lennon has warned, as rival court orders have left local election officials caught between state and federal authority.
Speaking to NPR’s Michel Martin, Lennon said the dispute had created an administrative “holding pattern” for election offices, which must prepare ballots while the legal battle over the boundaries continues.
“We’ve got the Supreme Court of Missouri saying that we have to use [the 2022 map]; otherwise we’ll be in violation of their order,” Lennon said. “And then we have the federal court saying that we can’t use them.”
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on September 3 that a Republican-backed map adopted in 2025 could not be used for the November 3 general election. It ordered officials to revert to the congressional boundaries drawn after the 2020 census and placed a referendum on the new map before voters.
But a federal judge subsequently ordered Missouri to use the 2025 map, arguing that changing district boundaries after the August primary could disrupt the election and undermine candidates selected under those lines. A federal appeals court declined on Wednesday to suspend that order, prompting opponents to take the dispute back to the US Supreme Court.
Missouri voters face uncertainty over electoral maps
Lennon said the consequences extend beyond the courtroom. County election officials must determine which district to assign to voters, prepare the correct ballots and ensure candidates appear in the constituencies where they are standing.
Boone County has about 125,000 voters, with roughly 40 per cent directly affected by changes between the competing maps, according to Lennon. The boundaries shift across the county, meaning some voters could find themselves assigned to a different congressional district depending on which ruling ultimately prevails.
The dispute has also created uncertainty for military and overseas voters, whose ballots must begin to be mailed in September. Election offices are working against deadlines while waiting for higher courts to resolve which map is legally valid.
The new boundaries were drawn by Missouri’s Republican-led legislature after President Donald Trump urged Republican states to redraw congressional districts ahead of the midterm elections. They are intended to improve the party’s chances of capturing a further House seat, including by reshaping the Kansas City-based district represented by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has issued conflicting instructions to local election authorities as the court orders have developed. The Missouri Supreme Court has ordered him to explain why directing officials to use the newer map did not breach its injunction.
For voters, Lennon said the immediate issue was not the political argument over redistricting but knowing which candidates and district contests would appear on their ballots. Until the courts provide a definitive answer, election officials remain responsible for preparing an election whose basic boundaries are still being contested.
