Missouri Overview

Redistricting Process: Missouri employs three systems for redistricting. The state legislature and governor have sole authority over congressional redistricting. State legislative districts are redrawn by separate House and Senate Reapportionment Commissions.

For the State House, within 60 days of release of the census data, the Republican and Democratic district committees for each U.S. Congressional district meet and each nominate two of members of their party who are residents of the district. The Governor then chooses one of the two nominees from each party for each district, resulting in an eighteen-member (nine districts times two parties) Reapportionment Committee. This committee is required to submit a plan within six months of its formation, approved by at least 13 of its members, or the commission is dismissed and the Missouri Supreme Court appoints a new commission consisting of six appellate court judges. This judicial commission must complete a plan within 90 days. For the Senate, the governor forms a Senate Reapportionment Commission by choosing from lists of ten nominees submitted by each party. The governor chooses five members from each party to form the 10-member committee. This committee operates on the same deadlines as the House Reapportionment Commission, and again power is reverted to a judicial commission should the Reapportionment Commission fail to create a plan within six months. On the whole, the Missouri legislative redistricting process is outside of the direct control of the legislature, but certainly not isolated from political influence. No members of the redistricting commission may hold office in the legislature for four years following redistricting.

Since the legislative Reapportionment Commissions have equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, the plans created are typically incumbent-friendly bipartisan gerrymanders. The lack of a tiebreaking vote can lead to failure to act, and in the 2001 cycle the Senate Reapportionment Commission failed to meet its deadline, leaving Senate districts to be drawn by a judicial panel. In the November 1982 election, voters affirmed Measure 12, a constitutional amendment referred to voters by the state legislature. Measure
12 created the Senate Reapportionment Commission. However, Measure 6, which would have extended a similar commission process to Missouri’s congressional redistricting,
failed by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin in the same year. Missouri’s system is one of the most complex in the United States.

Governor: Democrat Jay Nixon

Legislature: Republicans control both chambers.

Number of Congressional Seats in 2011: 8 (-1 since 2010)

2011 Ideal District Population: 748,616

Current District by District Politics and Demographics

1st District– Democrat William Lacy Clay

2010 Congressional Results: Clay 74%

2008 Congressional Results: Clay (Unopposed)

2006 Congressional Results: Clay 73%

2004 Congressional Results: Clay 75%

2008 Presidential Results: McCain 19% Obama 80%

2004 Presidential Results: Bush 25% Kerry 75%

District Population: 587,069

Over/Under Populated by: 161,547 (Missouri is losing a seat)

White Population: 220,432

African American Population: 324,711

Hispanic Population: 14,186

See more demographic information from the 2010 Census for the 1st District.*

2nd District– Republican Todd Akin

2010 Congressional Results: Akin 68%

2008 Congressional Results: Akin 62%

2006 Congressional Results: Akin 61%

2004 Congressional Results: Akin 65%

2008 Presidential Results: McCain 55% Obama 44%

2004 Presidential Results: Bush 60% Kerry 40%

District Population: 706,622

Over/Under Populated by: 41,994 (Missouri is losing a seat)

White Population: 630,109

African American Population: 22,942

Hispanic Population: 17,971

See more demographic information from the 2010 Census for the 2nd District.

3rd District– Democrat Russ Carnahan

2010 Congressional Results: Carnahan 49%

2008 Congressional Results: Carnahan 66%

2006 Congressional Results: Carnahan 66%

2004 Congressional Results: Carnahan 53%

2008 Presidential Results: McCain 39% Obama 60%

2004 Presidential Results: Bush 43% Kerry 57%

District Population: 625,251

Over/Under Populated by: 123,365 (Missouri is losing a seat)

White Population: 523,846

African American Population: 56,838

Hispanic Population: 17,583

See more demographic information from the 2010 Census for the 3rd District.

4th District– Republican Vicky Hartzler

2010 Congressional Results: Hartzler 50.4%

2008 Congressional Results: Ike Skelton (D) 66%

2006 Congressional Results: Skelton (D) 68%

2004 Congressional Results: Skelton (D) 66%

2008 Presidential Results: McCain 61% Obama 38%

2004 Presidential Results: Bush 64% Kerry 35%

District Population: 679,375

Over/Under Populated by: 69,241 (Missouri is losing a seat)

White Population: 612,830

African American Population: 23,143

Hispanic Population: 21,969

See more demographic information from the 2010 Census for the 4th District.

5th District– Democrat Emanuel Cleaver

2010 Congressional Results: Cleaver 53%

2008 Congressional Results: Cleaver 64%

2006 Congressional Results: Cleaver 64%

2004 Congressional Results: Cleaver 55%

2008 Presidential Results: McCain 36% Obama 63%

2004 Presidential Results: Bush 40% Kerry 59%

District Population: 633,887

Over/Under Populated by: 114,729 (Missouri is losing a seat)

White Population: 390,350

African American Population: 158,292

Hispanic Population: 55,346

See more demographic information from the 2010 Census for the 5th District.

6th District– Republican Sam Graves

2010 Congressional Results: Graves 69%

2008 Congressional Results: Graves 59%

2006 Congressional Results: Graves 62%

2004 Congressional Results: Graves 64%

2008 Presidential Results: McCain 54% Obama 45%

2004 Presidential Results: Bush 57% Kerry 42%

District Population: 693,974

Over/Under Populated by: 54,642 (Missouri is losing a seat)

White Population: 609,684

African American Population: 29,411

Hispanic Population: 29,253

See more demographic information from the 2010 Census for the 6th District.

7th District– Republican Billy Long

2010 Congressional Results: Long 63%

2008 Congressional Results: Roy Blunt (R) 68%

2006 Congressional Results: Blunt 67%

2004 Congressional Results: Blunt 70%

2008 Presidential Results: McCain 63% Obama 35%

2004 Presidential Results: Bush 67% Kerry 32%

District Population: 721,754

Over/Under Populated by: 26,862 (Missouri is losing a seat)

White Population: 646,408

African American Population: 11,701

Hispanic Population: 31,770

See more demographic information from the 2010 Census for the 7th District.

8th District– Republican Jo Ann Emerson

2010 Congressional Results: Emerson 66%

2008 Congressional Results: Emerson 71%

2006 Congressional Results: Emerson 72%

2004 Congressional Results: Emerson 72%

2008 Presidential Results: McCain 62% Obama 36%

2004 Presidential Results: Bush 63% Kerry 36%

District Population: 656,894

Over/Under Populated by: 91,722 (Missouri is losing a seat)

White Population: 596,834

African American Population: 32,545

Hispanic Population: 11,149

See more demographic information from the 2010 Census for the 8th District.

9th District– Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer

2010 Congressional Results: Luetkemeyer 78%

2008 Congressional Results: Luetkemeyer 50.0%

2006 Congressional Results: Kenny Hulshof (R) 61%

2004 Congressional Results: Hulshof 65%

2008 Presidential Results: McCain 55% Obama 44%

2004 Presidential Results: Bush 59% Kerry 41%

District Population: 684,101

Over/Under Populated by: 64,515 (Missouri is losing a seat)

White Population: 620,255

African American Population: 27,566

Hispanic Population: 13,243

See more demographic information from the 2010 Census for the 9th District.

*In some browsers, the link to the 2010 Census page may link to a
table of demographics for several states as opposed to the districts
for the specific state.  If this occurs, click the “Back to Search”
link at the top of the page and then click on the arrow next to
“Geographies” in the left column.  Select “All Congressional Districts
within Missouri” and then close the box.  Click on the link for “Race,
Hispanic or Latino, Age and Housing Occupancy: 2010” and the correct
table should appear.

Redistricting Process taken from Rose Institute study “Redistricting in America.”