Prosecutor will not charge Missouri residents who sign redistricting repeal petition twice

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – The Jackson County prosecutor announced that her office will not pursue criminal charges against those who may have signed the Congressional Redistricting petition twice.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins stated Oct. 15 that he had approved the sponsor of a petition for repealing the recently passed redistricting map to begin collecting signatures.

To qualify for the November 2026 general election ballot, proponents must collect signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts by the statutory deadline.

Hoskins said any signatures gathered before his approval will not count.

Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said that Hoskins’ statement has left many Jackson County residents uncertain about whether their signatures would count and whether their voices would be heard.

“State officials announced that signatures collected before Oct. 15 for the redistricting petition would not be counted. They also indicated that circulating the petition early is not a crime,” Johnson said. “If any Jackson County residents had already signed the redistricting petition before Oct. 15 and then learned their signatures may not be counted, they may have signed again to ensure their voices would be heard, unaware that signing a petition twice is technically a misdemeanor criminal offense under Missouri law. ”

Johnson said she will not pursue charges against people who may be caught in that predicament.

“People may have signed again after October 15 because of mixed messaging, not because they were trying to break the law,” she said. “They simply want to ensure their voices were being heard on an issue that directly affects their representation in Congress.”

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe had convened Missouri’s General Assembly for a special session to enact an updated congressional map, which included a significant change to the Fifth District in Kansas City.

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