We need to talk about why Republicans across the country, who know they can’t win fairly in November, are trying to change the rules of democracy. 

Let’s zoom in on Missouri.

First, state Republicans passed an unpopular gerrymander to try to rig the midterm elections in their favor. Then, more than 300,000 Missourians signed petitions to challenge this egregious map with a statewide referendum. That’s when Republican officials started throwing more hurdles in their way — arbitrarily throwing out petition signatures and crafting deliberately confusing ballot language. 

It’s part of a trend. Republican state officials are cracking down on citizen-led reform initiatives — pushing higher vote thresholds to pass ballot measures, manipulating ballot language, burying the petition gathering process in red tape, and even working to overturn or ignore results. Voters are fighting back against these concerted anti-democracy efforts — and we must do everything we can to support them.

With Republican legislators and Donald Trump desperately clinging to their power, attacks on the rights of voters are happening nationwide — and we expect more to come this year. Your support is essential to stopping dangerous Republican-led schemes that aim to silence voters and upend our electoral process.

Referendums like the one in Missouri have historically been a way for voters — particularly in red states — to check legislative power. 

When lawmakers fail to represent their constituents, referendums and ballot measures give citizens a direct way to ensure their voices are heard in government. That’s critical, especially in times like this when too many politicians think they can get away with ignoring the will of the people. 

Give to the NDRC today to sustain more of the critical action that is urgently needed to protect voters, fight back against map manipulation, and defend the heart of our democracy this year and beyond.

Thank you for helping keep power in the hands of the people,

Team NDRC