Missourians may have already started casting ballots for the November election, but which congressional districts their votes will count in is still up in the air.
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Missouri must use the Republican-drawn 2025 congressional map in November’s election, changing course after election officials had already begun preparing ballots under the map used since the 2022 elections.
But, the map isn’t changing just yet.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put its own ruling on hold until Monday, giving opponents such as People Not Politicians one week to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to step in.
Here’s what Missouri voters need to know until then:
U.S. Supreme Court appeal
People Not Politicians said in a news release Monday night that it would file an immediate appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, citing logistical difficulties in switching the map back.
“Ballots have been printed, and Missourians have already voted,” the release said. “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,” the statement continued. “Missourians are already voting and will continue to vote no on Proposition A through November 3.”
The group is expected to ask the Supreme Court to keep the 8th Circuit’s ruling from taking effect while the election moves forward.
“The ask is really, we need you to pause the 8th Circuit Court’s ruling until after the election because it is too late to make these changes,” Truman School of Public Affairs associate professor Scott LaCombe said.
The Supreme Court already intervened earlier this month to temporarily block enforcement of a federal district court order requiring Missouri to use the 2025 map. Earlier, when the Missouri Supreme Court first ruled the 2025 map was illegal, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to get involved in the case. That left the state court’s ruling intact.
Potential Supreme Court outcomes
There are a number of potential actions the high court might take.
If the Supreme Court refuses to take the case or does not intervene before the 8th Circuit’s stay expires, the appeals court decision to use the 2025 map would stand.
In this case, Missouri election officials will need to restructure an election already underway.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said making these major changes to the election would put a strain on her office, taking considerable time and resources, as they have already completed several steps of the election process using the 2022 districts.
“We would have to reprogram the entire election,” she said. “We’ve already tested our absentee voting machines. We’ve already approved our ballots, and our printer has them ready to go, so it will delay us on redoing all of that, and it’ll also require us to reprint and mail out the absentee ballots that we’ve already sent out.”
The Supreme Court could instead put the 8th Circuit’s ruling on hold, allowing the 2022 map to remain in place while the legal fight continues and the election is held.
Jayne Woods, an associate law professor at the University of Missouri, said if the Supreme Court agrees to review the case, it would likely grant some form of temporary relief alongside that decision as election officials could continue using ballots prepared under the 2022 districts.
Finally, the court could agree to hear the broader case and eventually issue a ruling. LaCombe said fully resolving the case before the election would require the court to move faster than usual.
“You need to submit briefs. You need to have arguments,” he said. “The courts typically do not work on that speed.”
Instead, LaCombe said the more immediate decision will likely center on whether the 8th Circuit’s ruling takes effect while the case continues.
Voting in Boone County
Until the high court makes a final decision on the case, Missouri officials must stand by.
Military and overseas ballots have already been mailed using the 2022 congressional districts, raising questions about what happens to voters who have already cast ballots if the 2025 map ultimately takes effect.
“We have a real question now,” LaCombe said. “Ballots have already been sent out. Some voters have already returned their ballots or are in the process of doing so.”
If the map changes, LaCombe said some voters who already cast ballots could potentially be disenfranchised in the U.S. House race because their ballots would list candidates from a different congressional district.
For example, Columbia residents who already cast ballots in the 4th District could be moved into the 5th District, raising questions about whether their congressional votes will remain valid.
Lennon is urging voters to refrain from voting in the short term as her office prepares for potential district changes.
“We want to caution voters that they might want to wait until the litigation is resolved to cast their ballot,” Lennon said.