FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 218
102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR MOSLEY.
0074S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 67, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to redistricting political
subdivisions.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 67, RSMo, is amended by adding there to 1
one new section, to be known as section 67.005, to read as 2
follows:3
67.005. 1. Every political subdivision, political 1
party county committee, board, city council, board of 2
alderpersons, and county commission shall consist of such 3
members as is provided by law, ordinance, or charter and 4
shall be elected as provided by law, ordinance, or charter. 5
2. Each multi-member political subdivision that elects 6
members from single member wards, subdistricts or districts, 7
not including members who are elected at-large, political 8
party county committee, board, city council, board of 9
alderpersons, and county commission shall redistrict or 10
reapportion their wards, subdistricts, or districts using 11
the following methods, listed in order of priority: 12
(1) Wards, subdistricts, or districts shall be as 13
nearly equal as practicable in population. Wards, 14
subdistricts, or districts are as nearly equal as 15
practicable in population if no ward, subdistrict, or 16
district deviates by more than five perce nt from the ideal 17
population of the ward, subdistrict, or district, as 18 SB 218 2
measured by dividing the number of wards, subdistricts, or 19
districts into the jurisdiction's, political subdivision's, 20
municipal's, or county's population data being used; 21
(2) Wards, subdistricts, and districts shall be 22
established in a manner so as to comply with all 23
requirements of the United States Constitution and 24
applicable federal laws, including, but not limited to, the 25
Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended. The following 26
principles shall take precedence over any other part of this 27
section: no ward, subdistrict, or district shall be drawn 28
in a manner which results in a denial or abridgment of the 29
right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account 30
of race or color; and no ward, subdistrict, or district 31
shall be drawn such that members of any community of 32
citizens protected by the preceding clause have less 33
opportunity than other members of the electorate to 34
participate in the political process and t o elect 35
representatives of their choice; 36
(3) Subject to the requirements of subdivisions (1) 37
and (2) of this subsection, districts, subdistricts, and 38
wards shall be composed of contiguous territory as compact 39
as may be. Areas which meet only at the points of adjoining 40
corners are not contiguous. In general, compact wards, 41
subdistricts, and districts are those which are square, 42
rectangular, or hexagonal in shape to the extent permitted 43
by natural or census block boundaries; 44
(4) To the extent consistent with subdivisions (1) to 45
(3) of this subsection, communities and political 46
subdivisions of common interest shall be preserved. In the 47
case of a jurisdiction or political subdivision that 48
encompasses multiple municipalities or of count y commission 49
districts, wards, subdistricts, or districts shall satisfy 50 SB 218 3
this requirement if ward, subdistrict, or district lines 51
follow municipal or political subdivision lines to the 52
extent possible and as few political subdivision or 53
municipal lines shall be crossed as possible. 54
3. Districts, subdistricts, and wards shall be drawn 55
in a manner that achieves both partisan fairness and, 56
secondarily, competitiveness, but the standards established 57
by subdivisions (1) to (4) of subsection 2 of thi s section 58
shall take precedence over partisan fairness and 59
competitiveness. "Partisan fairness" means that parties 60
shall be able to translate their popular support into 61
legislative representation with approximately equal 62
efficiency. "Competitiveness" means that parties' 63
legislative representation shall be substantially and 64
similarly responsive to shifts in the electorate's 65
preferences. 66
4. Except as otherwise provided by law, ordinance, or 67
charter, not later than sixty days after the effecti ve date 68
of this section and after each decennial census has been 69
reported to the President of the United States, not later 70
than six months prior to the opening of filing for office, 71
the redistricting or reapportionment authority shall file 72
with the election authority a tentative reapportionment or 73
redistricting plan and map of the proposed wards, 74
subdistricts, or districts and during the ensuing fifteen 75
days shall hold such public hearings as may be necessary to 76
hear objections or testimony of inte rested persons. The 77
redistricting or reapportionment authority shall make public 78
the tentative reapportionment or redistricting plan and map 79
of the proposed wards, subdistricts, or districts, as well 80
as all demographic and partisan data used in the cr eation of 81
the plan and map. 82 SB 218 4
5. Except as otherwise provided by law, ordinance, or 83
charter, not later than ninety days after the effective date 84
of this section and not later than five months prior to the 85
opening of filing for office after each dec ennial census has 86
been reported to the President of the United States, the 87
redistricting or reapportionment authority shall file with 88
the election authority a final statement of the numbers and 89
the boundaries of the wards, subdistricts, or districts 90
together with a map of the wards, subdistricts, or districts. 91
6. The office of the state demographer shall provide 92
such assistance as is required to assist with the 93
redistricting or reapportionment of wards, subdistricts, or 94
districts and may charg e a reasonable fee to reimburse the 95
state for the cost thereof. 96