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Missouri election clerks caught in limbo over disputed congressional map

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Missouri election clerks caught in limbo over disputed congressional map


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KY3) -Missouri election clerks are updating voter rolls without knowing which congressional map will be used for the August election.

The map passed in a special legislative session last year splits up Kansas City’s vote in a way that is likely to send one more Republican to Washington. More than 300,000 signatures on a veto petition are being checked for authenticity. If enough signatures are valid, the new map will be put on pause retroactively.

Secretary of State Denny Hoskins confirms the new map is in effect right now, but the Missouri Supreme Court ruling says it’s “impossible to say” which map will be in effect by the time of the August primary election.

But election officials like Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon are speaking out, saying it’s impossible to know which map to use until the signatures are verified.

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“Our hope is that the Secretary of State’s Office makes a determination sooner rather than later so that we can put all this uncertainty to rest,” Lennon said.

Hoskins said he will use the full time available to review signatures.

“I’m going to use the entire time that I have possible in order to review those signatures, let the county clerks do their job and certify those signatures, and then begin my certification process,” Hoskins said.

Lennon said she needs confirmation by early June on which map will be in effect in order to send out military and absentee ballots. Hoskins has until Aug. 4, the same day as the primary election, to certify the veto petition.

Lennon started moving voters into their new districts but is concerned about the potential fallout if there’s no legal confirmation on which map to use. The consequences could be as dire as having to completely redo the election, which brings funding concerns.

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“I have full confidence that local elections will make it work,” Lennon said. “It’s going to take resources, and I’m not sure where those resources will come from.”

People Not Politicians, the campaign behind the veto petition, filed a lawsuit against Hoskins and Attorney General Catherine Hanaway on Monday. The lawsuit demands they cease attempts to intimidate and coerce elected officials into using an invalid map for the 2026 elections or issue the referendum as insufficient and move forward with judicial review of that decision.

“The Supreme Court of Missouri made it clear there was one path needed to be able to conduct an election that all Missourians can be confident in. We need to take that path,” said Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians. “There are more than enough signatures, verified by election authorities, to qualify the referendum.”

Von Glahn said Hoskins is risking conducting an invalid election by refusing to acknowledge what he called sufficient signatures. If the veto petition is verified, Missourians will vote on which map to keep in November.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.

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North Harrison graduate honored when inducted into the Missouri Hall of Fame – Bethany Republican-Clipper

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North Harrison graduate honored when inducted into the Missouri Hall of Fame – Bethany Republican-Clipper




North Harrison graduate honored when inducted into the Missouri Hall of Fame – Bethany Republican-Clipper


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Silver Alert issued for missing Raytown man

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Silver Alert issued for missing Raytown man


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Highway Patrol issued a Silver Alert on Saturday for 78-year-old John Michael Culbertson, who was last seen in Raytown at about 11:30 a.m.

The highway patrol says Culbertson has dementia and wandered away from his home. They add that he has a history of eloping and has entered strangers’ homes in the past.

He’s a white man who is 5’10” and weighs 160 pounds. He has white hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a navy blue sun hat, dark blue shirt, and cut-off jeans. His home is on Northern Avenue near 53rd and Sterling.

If you’ve seen him or know where he is, call 911 or Raytown police at (816) 737-6020.

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Missouri launches anti-trafficking app ahead of World Cup events

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Missouri launches anti-trafficking app ahead of World Cup events


Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has announced a partnership she hopes will lessen human trafficking during the FIFA World Cup in Kansas City. Large events such as the World Cup are known to have an increased rate of human trafficking, and Missouri is working to get ahead of this trend.

Safe House Project is a nonprofit organization that aims to end human trafficking. The group has developed an app called Simply Report that gives people the ability to report to law enforcement any activity they feel is concerning.

Safe House Project CEO Kristi Wells said the Simply Report app uses artificial intelligence to parse the information people report.

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“Everybody has a gut instinct, and there are times where we see something where we just aren’t confident, but we are concerned. And so the beautiful thing about using Simply Report is that they can share the suspicions and the things they’re seeing and they don’t have to know everything to report,” Wells said.

The app has been available for a year and there has already been considerable success in supporting victims of human trafficking.

“Within three months we saw a 371% increase in the number of victims identified and served by our organization and after 10 months we had a 1,200%,” Wells said.

A 2023 report from the Missouri Statewide Council on Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children, citing an analysis of 2021 data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, said “As recent as 2020, Missouri had the fourth highest incidence rate of human trafficking at 4.32 per 100,000 people.”

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Missouri was the fifth state to partner with Safe House Project. The state’s Director of Anti-Trafficking Operations, Diana Haines, said this issue is important to the Attorney General.

“Catherine Hanaway is committed to protecting victims and preventing exploitation,” Haines said. “The attorney general will always work to get every tool available into the hands of law enforcement to catch traffickers and hold them accountable.”

There is no intention to get rid of Simply Safe after the World Cup.

“We will continue to use and promote Simply Report following the games,” Haines said, “continuing to put the victims first.”

This story was produced by KBIA and shared through the Missouri News Network.

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