Sen. Rick Brattin says voters "should be able to vote in the same districts for the general election"
Missouri state senator, Republican nominee for the 5th Congressional District and plaintiff in the federal lawsuit
“Voters cast their primary ballots under this map, and they should be able to vote in the same districts for the general election … Changing the map halfway through an election forces people into different districts with candidates they never had a chance to choose in the primary. That defies common sense and undermines the entire electoral process.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
KOMU reports the Eighth Circuit ruling and quotes Sen. Rick Brattin's full statement. The Missouri Independent and KSHB report the first sentence of the same statement.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Report on the Eighth Circuit's September 21 ruling, with statements from Sen. Rick Brattin and Richard von Glahn.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Eighth Circuit ruled on September 21 that Missouri must use the 2025 map in November, and it stayed its order until September 28.
After the quotation
KOMU reported that Brattin is running in the 5th Congressional District, where the 2022 lines include a more liberal voter base than the 2025 lines.
How this statement is classified
Responding to: Because Missouri held its August primary under the 2025 map, the U.S. Constitution requires it to use that same map in the November general election, and using the 2022 map instead would violate Article I, Section 2 and equal protection.
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is use of the 2025 map in the 2026 general election. Brattin argues that voters should vote in the same districts in the general election as in the primary, which defends using the 2025 map. The closest competing label, “Mixed or conditional”, loses because he states no condition on that position.
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Should Missouri be allowed to use its 2025 congressional map in the 2026 general election?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full case“It is disappointing that today’s decision by the United States Supreme Court means Missouri will conduct its November general election under a different congressional map than its primary election. Voters deserved consistency and certainty, and not for the rules to be changed between elections. Nevertheless, Missouri will follow the Court’s order.”Read statement
Supreme Court of the United States
“In short, as a matter of state law, the 2022 map—not the 2025 map—must be used in the 2026 congressional election. … At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos. Purcell protects against such disorder. … And the District Court and Court of Appeals should not order or otherwise require Missouri to use the 2025 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri.”Read statement
Campaign Legal Center
“Pursuant to this Court’s orders and the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling on state law, election administration has proceeded under the 2022 map, ballots have already been mailed, and voting has begun. … This Court must once again step in to restore order by granting the Applicants’ requested relief.”Read statement