JEFFERSON CITY聽鈥 A Missouri House Democrat聽introduced a long-shot bid Wednesday to impeach Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins over his alleged 鈥渙bstruction鈥 of an effort to allow voters to weigh in on a congressional district gerrymandering plan.
Rep. Will Jobe, D-Independence, said Hoskins is using his office to squelch political dissent by erecting roadblocks to a citizen-led referendum effort that could result in the new GOP-friendly congressional map being tossed out by voters.
鈥淢issourians deserve a secretary of state who will protect voter rights, not use the office to shut down political dissent,鈥 Jobe said.
The proposal, introduced on the first day of Missouri's legislative session, calls for lawmakers to form a committee to investigate possible impeachment, similar to the 2018 probe by lawmakers of former Gov. Eric Greitens.
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Greitens, who was enmeshed in a scandal over an affair, resigned before an impeachment vote could take place.
At issue in Jobe's proposal are congressional district boundaries approved by the GOP-controlled General Assembly last year aimed at transforming聽a strong Democratic-leaning district in Kansas City into one聽that can be won by a Republican.
Republicans drew the new maps at the request of President Donald Trump, who wants to stave off Democrats from taking control of the House in the 2026 mid-term elections.
The People Not Politicians organization began collecting voter signatures in September聽to place the new maps on the ballot, but Hoskins said he will not count an estimated 100,000聽collected聽before the law was聽signed into law by Gov. Mike Kehoe Sept. 28. The group turned in more than 300,000 signatures, well above the 106,000 needed to get the referendum before voters.
That dispute has become the focus of legal action as People Not Politicians and Republicans argue over whether those signatures should be counted.
Hoskins also contends the new, gerrymandered maps are the official state maps instead of the old district boundaries.
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City, said Hoskins鈥 actions amount to a 鈥済ross abuse of power.鈥
鈥淚f Missourians鈥 constitutional rights are to be more than just words on paper, then the House must fulfill its duty to protect those rights by launching an immediate investigation,鈥 Aune said.
House Speaker Jon Patterson, R-Lee's Summit, said he was aware of Jobe鈥檚 legislation, but had not studied it and could not comment on the proposal.
Hoskins did not respond to a request for comment. Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, the state's top legal officer, has supported Hoskins' positions in the legal fight.
The last statewide official to be impeached was Secretary of State Judi Moriarty in 1994. Moriarty, a Democrat, was removed from office after being tried and convicted by the Missouri Supreme Court for an election offense, following her impeachment by the House.
