Why St. Louis' congressional seat wasn't targeted in redistricting

ST. LOUIS - Missouri lawmakers approved a new map for the state's Congressional districts last week, and the highly-anticipated redistricting plan could be signed by the governor as soon as Wednesday.

Redistricting, the process of drawing district boundaries of near-equal populations to elect officials, is required near the start of every decade in Missouri, following the release of U.S. Census data. The state finalized its current congressional map in 2022, and is now nearing completion of mid-cycle redistricting in 2025.

The boundaries of Missouri's 1st Congressional District, where St. Louis is located, remain virtually unchanged.

By contrast, Kansas City's Congressional District seat, District 5, saw notable changes. Its borders now stretch further east, and political analysts believe the seat could become more Republican-leaning as a result.

MAPS (2022 vs. 2025 Missouri Redistricting Plans)

While redistricting typically occurs once per decade, President Donald Trump has urged states to redraw their districts mid-cycle, a move that could potentially help Republicans preserve their Congressional majority during the 2026 midterm elections, according to the Associated Press.

With that in mind, why does District 1 remain largely unchanged?

Some Congressional districts across the United States have protections under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prevent redistricting from diluting power of minority populations, essentially making it harder to alter the district without significant legal changes.

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, in particular, prohibits redistricting plans that would weaken the influence of minority voters, including in districts where the majority population is represented by a minority.

According to 2023 Census data, District's 1 population is roughly 44% Black and 42% white, a composition that seemingly qualifies for protections under Sections 2 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

FOX 2 News has reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice and District 1 Congressman Wesley Bell's district office to confirm the district's status under the Voting Rights Act. The Department of Justice shared with us a memo titled "Redistricting Information," while Bell's district office has yet to respond.

Elsewhere in Missouri, the new redistricting map splits Columbia into two districts and expands the boundaries of two districts at least partially in the St. Louis metropolitan area: District 3 to the north and District 2 to the south.

At present, the state's eight districts are represented by six Republicans and two Democrats: Bell in the 1st District and Emanuel Cleaver in the 5th District. The new map may make it more challenging for Cleaver to retain his seat in next year's election, though some lawsuits have been filed in an effort to block the state's current redistricting plan.