Boone County Voters: Check Your District Before November

Boone County’s congressional map is changing again — for the second time in four months — and county election officials want you to know before you show up in November expecting the same ballot you had in August.

The Missouri Supreme Court this week declined Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s request to pause its own ruling, which means the map used in the 2022 and 2024 elections — not the newer map used in this year’s August primary — is back in effect for the November 3 general election, according to KOMU 8.

For about 40% of Boone County’s registered voters, that means a different congressional district than the one on their primary ballot, Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon told KOMU. Instead of being split between the 3rd and 5th Congressional Districts, as under the map used in August, the county goes back to being split between the 3rd and 4th — same as it was in 2022 and 2024.

There’s a small silver lining for anyone dreading another redistricting scramble: Lennon says her office doesn’t have to start from zero. Both district assignments have stayed linked to voters in the county’s system since her office verified addresses back in May and June, so the 2022-map data was already sitting there, ready to use.

Still, the timeline is tight. Tuesday, September 8 is the deadline to finalize Boone County’s ballots — just two days from now. “We would like to be able to start preparing for the election far sooner” than an eight-week window, Lennon told KOMU, though she added she’s relieved the court didn’t order something more disruptive.

The legal fight isn’t over. Hanaway has taken the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the ruling “is going to make the lives of county clerks and voters so difficult unless we win at the U.S. Supreme Court.” Whether the nation’s highest court steps in before ballots are finalized is now the open question — and with Tuesday’s deadline closing in, there’s little room left for another change.

What it means here: if you’re a Boone County voter, don’t assume your congressional district is the same one you saw in August. Check your registration and sample ballot with the Boone County Clerk’s office before Election Day, especially if you live near a district line.