JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's top election official has rejected a citizens' petition seeking a statewide referendum on new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump.
Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new U.S. House map approved by the Republican-led state Legislature. But Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins ****** erted Tuesday that the petition is void because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums.
The number of petition signatures submitted doesn't matter, Hoskins said, because "challenging a congressional map is unconstitutional under Missouri law."
A group backing the referendum effort said it will contest Hoskins' decision in court.
"Secretary of State Hoskins is making a last desperate attempt to silence the people's voice in Missouri," Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians Missouri, said in a statement, while ****** erting there are more than enough signatures to qualify the referendum for the ballot.

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