Opponents of Missouri redistricting push could have a secret weapon

Missouri House Democrats don’t have a lot of leverage to prevent Republicans from pushing through a map this week that would make it much harder for U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to win reelection.

But it’s likely that the initial vote Monday afternoon on redistricting will provide opponents with a potentially potent way to prevent the new map from going into effect: Missouri’s referendum process.

Republicans hold overwhelming majorities in the legislature, so passage of Rep. Dirk Deaton’s bill is not in doubt. But it is possible there won’t be enough votes to prevent map opponents from putting it up for a statewide vote.

Here’s why: Any bill that passes out of the legislature can be put up for a statewide vote if opponents gather a certain number of signatures in six out of eight congres