By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
February 29, 2012

Redistricting has been a struggle in Missouri, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

For months, state legislators and appellate judges have debated both the House and Senate redistricting maps for Missouri. Every 10 years, states are required to redraw their legislative and congressional district lines according to population and demographics.

Since the bipartisan citizen apportionment commission failed to agree on new district lines last September, the Supreme Court of Missouri appointed a commission of six appellate judges to determine the new boundaries, as required by state law. However, even the judge approved maps drew controversy. The Senate map was challenged in court with allegations the map didn’t meet constitutional requirements. The state supreme court agreed and threw out the Senate map, which left senators to start at square one.

Once again, the governor appointed a bipartisan citizen apportionment commission to redraw the Senate map. The commission approved the new map Feb. 22 with an 8-2 vote. However, the process isn’t finished. Commissioners must reaffirm the map within 15 days from Feb. 22.

Filing for House and Senate seats begins Feb. 28, but redistricting lines for the Senate could still be challenged.

“For the state Senate, you don’t know what’s right side up or down. You just don’t know. Everything’s just screwed up is the best way to put it,” Rizzo said.

Since Senate boundaries aren’t set in stone, legislation has been filed to push back the filing date to March 19, he said. However, that legislation has yet to be approved.

How current Senate maps will affect Northeast

Northeast will now be represented by the 19th House District instead of the 40th and will be split into two senatorial districts. Due to boundary changes, the 7th Senate District is now an open seat and the 10th Senate District is now located in Callaway County. State Sen. Jolie Justus will now run in the 10th Senate District, despite the fact she lives in Kansas City, Rizzo said. During the redistricting process, the resident requirements are relaxed for the first term, he explained. However, for the next term, senators and house representatives must live within their district. Former state Rep. John Burnett, who represented Historic Northeast in Jefferson City, has already announced he will run for the 7th Senate District.

“If the commission does finalize these new lines and we have an election in 6 months rather that 30 months,  I am running for the newly created 7th District Missouri Senate seat,” Burnett wrote in an email to supporters.  

Despite the senatorial split, district lines within Kansas City are “pretty similar” to the past boundaries, he said.

“I’m happy with both of them (House and Senate maps),” Rizzo said, who plans to run for the new 19th House District. “I just wanted to make sure the Northeast community was kept together and not parceled off between the other districts. The House district, in my personal opinion, is essential to Northeast and its voice. The House district is truly a Northeast seat and truly representative of Northeast, period.”