The congressional redistricting map passed by the Missouri House last week has narrowly passed a State Senate committee.
Lafayette County GOP chairwoman Kay Hoflander testified against the map crafted by members of her own party. She says her rural county would be better off in one of western Missouri’s two rural districts, instead of being lumped in with urban Kansas City.
“Our only concern is that we’re not urban, and that we feel like we would not be understood or even represented in an urban area,” Hoflander told the Senate Redistricting Committee.
That sentiment was echoed by Joe Aull (D, Marshall), who represents portions of Saline and Lafayette counties in the Missouri House. He says those two counties, along with nearby Ray County, will get a lot more attention if they're grouped with other rural counties, and not with Kansas City.
But the bill passed 4-to-3.
The Senate version of the map also places Lafayette, Saline and Ray counties into the Kansas City district. It’s possible that some senators will either try to alter the maps or block them when they go to the floor for debate.
