(Note: This is from the weekly message sent by members of the Missouri House to constituents)
The 2026 legislative session got underway Jan. 7 with House Democrats filing a resolution seeking an impeachment investigation of Secretary of State Denny Hoskins for unlawful obstruction of a referendum petition forcing a statewide vote on a mid-decade congressional redistricting bill majority Republicans passed during in the fall in hopes of securing another GOP seat in the 2026 elections.
House Resolution 3879, filed by state Rep. Will Jobe, D-Independence, alleges Hoskins’ actions in trying to thwart the referendum constitute multiple grounds for impeachment under the Missouri Constitution, including misconduct, willful neglect of duty, incompetency and oppression in office.
“Secretary Hoskins abused his authority to try to silence Missourians who exercised their constitutional right to bring the redistricting bill to a statewide vote, betraying his oath to uphold the state constitution,” Jobe said. “Missourians deserve a secretary of state who will protect voter rights, not use the office to shut down political dissent. If Hoskins is unwilling to carry out his constitutional duties, he must be replaced with someone who will.”
“Secretary Hoskins abused his authority to try to silence Missourians who exercised their constitutional right to bring the redistricting bill to a statewide vote, betraying his oath to uphold the state constitution,” Jobe said. “Missourians deserve a secretary of state who will protect voter rights, not use the office to shut down political dissent. If Hoskins is unwilling to carry out his constitutional duties, he must be replaced with someone who will.”
Opponents of the gerrymandered new congressional districts last month submitted approximately 305,000 signatures from registered Missouri voters to stop the redistricting measure, House Bill 1, from taking effect unless voters approve it at the Nov. 3 election. Only about 110,000 signatures are needed to qualify for the statewide ballot.
However, Hoskins, a Republican, is refusing to count about a third of those signatures because they were collected before an arbitrary date he chose without legal authority. Hoskins also is unlawfully moving to implement the new congressional districts for the upcoming candidate filing period that opens in late February, even though HB 1 was suspended from taking effect under the state constitution once the referendum petition was submitted. In an apparent attempt to intimidate voters, Hoskins also at one point made the dangerously absurd claim – unsupported by any legal authority – that people collecting signatures or even signing the petition could be subject to criminal prosecution for doing so.
Hoskins responded to the impeachment resolution in statement posted on Twitter, now formally known as X, saying in part: “I will continue to follow the law and Missouri Constitution regardless of pressure of unwanted articles of impeachment.” While admitting he finds the impeachment effort “unwanted,” Hoskins’ statement did not argue it is unwarranted.
Under House Rules, the speaker is required to refer the resolution to a legislative committee of his choice. Because the House is Republican-controlled, the impeachment effort is unlikely to advance but serves to highlight the egregious nature of Hoskins’ conduct.
3 comments:
This is just the beginning of many overdue impeachments of unqualified and inept republican/maga losers.
Count your votes, good luck with that.
Oh yes, I will be! Count your tears 901. Your affinity for authoritarianism is soon to end in bankruptcy just like your orange master.
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