Although 68 people filed for election to the U.S. House in the August primary by Tuesday’s deadline last week, the Missouri legislature has yet to approve the district lines for those eight seats.
That’s because lawmakers disagree on the boundaries, according to a St. Louis University professor of political science.
“I would have thought they would've already done it by now but they've been deadlocked,” said professor Kenneth Warren. “Some Republicans want to carve out seven Republican districts within a state that’s 50% Republican to 50% Democrat. That's what's so outrageous about it.”
The only requirement for Congressional candidates is that they live in the state in which they file. The U.S. Constitution does not mandate that a candidate live in the district they seek to represent.
“The candidates can just proceed to run and assume that the districts aren't going to be much different than they are now, particularly when the number of U.S. representatives will remain the same,” Warren told the St. Louis Record. “We still have eight U.S. representatives.”
As previously reported, under the current map, there are six Republican and two Democrat members of Congress from Missouri based on districts that were drawn from the 2010 U.S. Census.
“New districts are required to be drawn based on results of the 2020 U.S. Census,” Warren said. “It’s a legislative duty and if a legislative body doesn't do it, the courts can step in and order it to be done.”
Paul Berry, a Republican politician who is campaigning to represent Missouri's 2nd Congressional district, filed a lawsuit in Cole County asking Judge Jon Beetem to issue a new Congressional map.
However, Beetem denied his request to shorten the time for a ruling, and Berry voluntarily dismissed his complaint last month.
“I'm a true believer in the U.S. Constitution and the authority of the Missouri General Assembly to enact Congressional maps and it's unfortunate that we even have to consider going to court over this issue,” Berry told the St. Louis Record. “Nevertheless, I have a Congressional campaign to run and I'm responsible to my supporters to make sure that I have the best opportunity to bring conservative values to the citizens of Missouri.”
Republicans and Democrats of Missouri have also filed lawsuits but in state court, not federal.
"It is very easy to draw districts in no time because of the software that is now available," Warren added. "You just type in your criteria and draw eight districts equal in population and the software will do it in a millisecond."