Ridgeway: The First Draft of Missouri’s New Congressional Boundaries

Every ten years when a new census is taken, a chain of events is set in motion. Following release of the new population numbers, new boundaries must be drawn for state legislative seats as well as members of Congress. The process varies from state to state. In Missouri, legislative boundaries are drawn by two separate commissions chosen by the governor, and congressional boundaries are drawn by the legislature in the form of a bill [HB193; SB264].



The process took a step forward this week as both the House and Senate redistricting committees voted out their individual maps for new congressional districts. This year has been made more difficult due to Missouri losing one of its nine congressional seats. Because our population did not grow as fast as other states, our representation in Congress will be reduced. At one time Missouri had 16 seats in Congress. We have had ten seats until 1980 when we lost a seat in Southeast Missouri, reducing our representation in Congress to 9 for the past 30 years.

When we lost the seat in 1980, two congressmen were drawn together setting up a showdown between incumbents. Congressman Wendell Bailey (R-Willow Springs) chose to run in the 4th District against Congressman Ike Skelton (D-Lexington). Bailey was defeated and two years later was elected state treasurer. Skelton went on to serve until last year when he was defeated by Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Harrisonville). As a side note, in 1988 Bailey won re-election over Bob Holden who would later be elected governor.

This cycle it appears that the districts of Congressmen Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis) and Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis) will be merged. This could change if Governor Nixon vetoes the map and the legislature fails to over ride him. If this happens, the process of drawing new districts will be referred to a panel of judges who will not be bound by any past considerations of the legislature. This is basically a Congressional version of musical chairs: two Congressmen but only one seat.

All districts will be significantly changed as the remaining eight districts must absorb the population of the eliminated district. With the exception of a district in St. Louis, most areas will likely be more competitive between political parties.

On a related topic, the Senate debated legislation [SJR10] this week which would reduce the size of the House of Representatives. At 163 seats, Missouri has the fourth largest House in the nation. Any change in this number would have to go to a vote of the people. If approved, the House would drop to 103 seats. Proponents of the measure say it would save money while opponents argue it would further reduce rural representation. This issue has been debated at various times since I was first elected in 1992 and will likely attract much attention again this year.