Democracy for Sale: $5,000

The right to petition our government is for sale

The Missouri Legislature recently passed House Bill 1 (HB 1), a new congressional map pushed by Donald Trump and engineered to give Republicans an additional U.S. House seat. Instead of waiting for the next census, lawmakers redrew the lines mid-decade in a special session, carving up Kansas City and turning seven of Missouri’s eight districts safely Republican.

Missourians are fighting back. A citizens’ group called People Not Politicians is using a veto referendum to give voters a chance to overturn HB 1. If they collect enough signatures, the redrawn map can’t take effect unless the people of Missouri approve it on the ballot in 2026.

That prospect has terrified the politicians who rigged the map, compelling them to fight back.

Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has announced that roughly 100,000 signatures already collected for the referendum “constitute a misdemeanor election offense” because they were gathered before his office formally approved the petition. In plain English, he is warning that ordinary Missourians exercising their constitutional rights could be treated as criminals.

At the same time, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has filed a federal lawsuit to block the referendum altogether. Her argument boils down to this: the legislature alone controls congressional redistricting, and voters have no right to overrule them—even when lawmakers gerrymander the map mid-decade for partisan gain.

As if that weren’t enough, a 13-page contract has surfaced offering petition circulators up to $5,000 to stop collecting signatures for the referendum and instead work as “consultants” for a shadowy outfit called Vortex Elite. Under the contract, they must walk away from the referendum campaign and provide “ground intelligence” on other campaigns—essentially being paid to spy on Missourians fighting for their First Amendment right to petition.

All of this is happening while officials like Hoskins insist, with a straight face, that “this office remains committed to transparency, accuracy, and protecting Missouri voters’ trust in the democratic process.”

Missouri politics has rarely been this cynical. The same politicians who rig the rules and threaten citizens with criminal charges for using their constitutional rights now claim to be defending democracy. In reality, they are doing everything in their power to stop Missourians from having a simple, fundamental say in who represents them in Congress.

Democracy doesn’t defend itself; that’s the job of ordinary citizens. Every voter, regardless of party, should trust that political power comes from the people, not from those who manipulate the rules to gain power. Talk with your family, friends, and neighbors about what’s happening. Ask questions. Pay attention. Refuse to be intimidated out of your rights. Democracy only works when we insist that it belongs to us.

Originally published in the Frontline Progressive, November 18, 2025