Missouri U.S. Rep. Bob Onder says a federal appeals court ruling in favor of the state’s 2025 congressional map protects the choices voters made during the August primary election.
Onder, one of the candidates involved in the lawsuit that led to Monday’s 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision, told Missourinet he believes the Missouri Supreme Court’s earlier ruling created confusion by changing congressional districts after voters had already cast primary ballots.
“August 4th, 1.2 million Missourians, Republicans and Democrats alike, cast votes and chose their preferred nominee for their party’s congressional races,” Onder said. “And the Missouri Supreme Court a month later took it upon themselves to invalidate, essentially disenfranchise the votes of those 1.2 million Missourians.”
The appeals court ruled Missouri should use the Republican-backed 2025 congressional map for the November election. Onder said the decision restores continuity between the August primary and the general election.
With military ballots already mailed and absentee voting now underway under the 2022 map, election officials face uncertainty as the legal challenge continues. Onder told Missourinet similar situations have occurred in other states and said local election officials can adjust if necessary.
“The 8th Circuit does address exactly that situation in their opinion,” Onder said. “It’s not ideal. This is a problem of the Missouri Supreme Court’s making, but not unprecedented. And it is something that the clerks can do and should be ready to do.”
The dispute has generated a series of court rulings over which congressional boundaries should be used this year, leaving some voters unsure about what they will see on their November ballots. Onder acknowledged the confusion but said he believes the appeals court decision moves the process toward a resolution.
“It is very confusing and I’m one of the parties to the suit that brought us to where we are today,” Onder said. “A circuit set things right. And for people who voted in the primary, the candidate they will see is probably the person that they voted for on August 4th. So, I think their confusion will be relieved.”
The case may not be settled yet. The 8th Circuit placed a seven-day hold on its ruling to give opponents time to seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Missouri election officials are continuing to prepare for the November election using the 2022 congressional map, and absentee and military ballots are already being distributed under those district boundaries.
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