When I first read about how Texas Republicans were preparing to engage in mid-decade redistricting , I sent a text message to a Republican aide in state government, jokingly wondering if Missouri would get in on the fun.

It's no secret that my interest in Missouri redistricting borders on obsession . Some of my love for the subject stems from its importance . The lines and where they are drawn can determine which party has a better shot at winning any given district. But I also have a lifelong interest in cartography, including nearly winning my middle school geography bee and getting to talk to a National Geographic mapmaker while tagging along on a work trip with my dad.

Still, at the time I sent that text, I thought there was no way that Missouri Republicans would plunge

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