A congressional redistricting map has been sent to Governor Nixon. Now, legislators wait to see if he signs or vetoes it.
After fits and starts in negotiations, the House and Senate finally resolved their issues and settled on a map. It reduces the number of congressional districts in Missouri from nine to eight, in line with the results of the 2010 Census. St. Louis loses a congressional seat and the 9th becomes the 3rd, less of a rural district and more suburban. All districts shift.
The map sailed through the Senate 27-to-7, more than enough votes to override a veto.
In the House, the vote fell short of the votes needed to override a veto; 96-55. Still, House Speaker Steven Tilley, a Republican from Perryville, believes he has a shot at the 109 votes needed to override a veto by the governor.
“If he chooses that he’s not going to sign it, he’s going to veto it, then certainly I have an obligation within the House to try to rustle up enough votes to override the veto,” Tilley says. “I think that’s a possibility and maybe even a likelihood.”
Not so fast says the top Democrat in the House, Mike Talboy of Kansas City, who feels confident he can hold the votes needed to block a veto. Talboy has sent a letter to Gov. Nixon, requesting the governor veto the map.
Can he put together the votes needed to block an override?
“Well, I will sit down and have conversations with my caucus members at that point,” says Talboy. “And, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have asked if we didn’t think it was a possibility.”
The numbers game has become tougher. Republicans lost a member who left after winning a local election, dropping their numbers down to 105 in the House. Tilley would need for all the Republicans who voted against the map to vote for the override, plus four Democrats, to successfully override the governor. Three Democrats voted for the map. Tilley has stated that the override vote brings a different dynamic to the mix than the vote for the redistricting bill.
