A second map defining Senate districts in Missouri has been released after the initial map drew concerns.
A panel of appeals judges drew the maps for House and Senate districts after the legislature couldn’t agree on their own. The changes are mandated by population shifts shown by the census every ten years.
However, the Apportionment Commission was criticized for splitting counties and leading republicans said the new lines showed a democratic slant. Currently, 23 republicans hold Senate seats in the Missouri Legislature; there are eight democrats.
The state constitution states that Senate district cannot cross county lines unless the neighboring county has too many people to fit into a single Senate district.
The new map shows the commission regrouped Johnson County near Kansas City, Green County, areas of St. Louis and outstate areas in Southeast and Southwest Missouri.
