Supreme Court rejects Missouri congressional map effort

What the Supreme Court decided

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Republican effort to use a new Missouri congressional map in the November midterm elections. It was the third effort to put the map in place for that election.

The proposed district lines would have given Republicans an opportunity to gain an additional seat in the U.S. House from Democrats. The court’s action prevents this particular effort from putting those lines into effect for November.

The decision concerns which congressional district boundaries may be used. Voters still decide the election among the candidates appearing on their ballots.

What the decision means for voters

Congressional maps divide Missouri into districts, with each district electing one member of the U.S. House. Changes to those boundaries can place voters in different districts and alter which communities vote together for a representative.

The immediate effect of Friday’s action is that Republicans cannot use this effort to secure the proposed map for the November midterms. The Supreme Court rejected the request rather than allowing the disputed lines to take effect.

The next practical step is for election officials to administer the November election using the congressional boundaries that remain legally in place. Voters can check their registration and ballot information through their election officials as the election approaches.