Gov. Mike Kehoe plans a private Sept. 28 signing of House Bill 1 after a special session advanced the map alongside tighter initiative-petition rules. The plan breaks up Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s current 5th District and divides Kansas City among three districts, giving Republicans a reported advantage in seven of eight seats. The NAACP and ACLU have filed suits questioning mid-decade redistricting and the governor’s special-session authority, with a separate claim over a duplicated precinct designation that Kehoe’s office disputes. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, relying on an attorney general opinion, rejected a referendum filing as premature because the bill is not yet law, while organizers vow to continue and signal a court appeal. Grassroots campaigns are collecting roughly 300,000 signatures to protect the initiative process or force a statewide vote on the map, with a Dec. 11 window to submit referendum signatures from six districts.
