An Missouri appeals court ordered Monday that the state must use a GOP-drawn congressional map in November’s elections, reversing a series of Supreme Court decisions. Circuit Court of Appeals made the ruling Monday, just one day before absentee and mail-in ballots were slated to be sent out to voters. Military and overseas voters have already begun to receive ballots, according to the .
"This Court holds that Missouri’s current plan to use the 2022 map in the November 2026 general election violates the Constitution. Only use of the 2025 map complies with the Constitution and federal law," Eighth Circuit Judge Stephen R. Clark wrote in a previous decision, which was upheld by the appeals panel in Monday's ruling.
The map, drawn by Missouri’s Republican-dominated state assembly in 2025, has already been rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court twice on procedural grounds, most recently earlier this month. ELECTION CHAOS IN THIS RED STATE JUST GOT EVEN STRANGER FOR REPUBLICANS AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING The new map splits Missouri’s fifth congressional district, which encompasses the state’s largest metropolitan area centered on Kansas City, into two districts, likely eliminating one of the state’s two Democratic-leaning districts.
Despite numerous challenges, Missouri did use the 2025 map for its August primary elections. An August ruling from a state trial court ruled that a reversion to the 2022 map "would move hundreds of thousands of voters into different districts for the imminent 2026 general election compared to the districts in which they cast their ballots in the August primary elections." The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities already announced it won’t be using the 2025 map for November, arguing in an appeal filing that the state does not have enough time to provide new ballots, according to the AP. MISSOURI SUPREME COURT THREATENS SECRETARY OF STATE WITH CONTEMPT AMID INTENSIFYING REDISTRICTING BATTLE Opponents of the redrawn map, like People Not Politicians executive director Richard von Glahn, echoed that sentiment.
"Ballots have been printed, and Missourians have already voted. Thousands more will vote before this order seeks to take effect. Officials should stop wasting taxpayers’ money on pointless legal action and instead focus on administering our elections," Glahn said in a statement issued to the AP.
SUPREME COURT ALLOWS ALABAMA GOP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAP FOR MIDTERMS The appeals panel, however, argued that there is precedent to offering new ballots in such a short time period. The panel delayed its ruling from taking place for one week, allowing opponents to appeal to the Supreme Court again. MISSOURI JUDGE HANDS TRUMP, GOP MAJOR REDISTRICTING WIN AHEAD OF MIDTERM ELECTIONS President Donald Trump has been a strong proponent for the redrawn map, blasting the early September decision by Missouri's Supreme Court to favor the 2022 maps.
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