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Legislators

Missouri Democratic Lawmakers Sleep Overnight on House Floor to Protest Special Session

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Missouri Democratic representatives Ray Reed, Elizabeth Fuchs, and Jeremy Dean have taken a bold stance to defend democracy by sleeping overnight in the House chamber, refusing to leave until their concerns are addressed. Their protest is in response to the ongoing push to gerrymander the state's congressional map and change the initiative petition process, which they believe undermines the democratic process. The lawmakers plan to camp out on the House floor throughout the weekend, sending a message to the Missouri General Assembly and the nation.

Key Takeaways:

  • Three Missouri Democratic representatives, Ray Reed, Elizabeth Fuchs, and Jeremy Dean, have slept overnight in the House chamber to protest the special session.
  • The lawmakers are opposing the push to gerrymander the state's congressional map, which would give Republicans control of all eight congressional seats.
  • The proposed gerrymandered map would transfer one of the two current Democratic seats to Republicans, exacerbating the existing power imbalance.
  • The Missouri General Assembly has been called back for a special session on Aug. 29, following President Donald Trump's call for redistricting.
  • Dean stated that the lawmakers are trying to "defend the values of democracy, making sure that people still have their voice, and making sure that (they) try and stop Donald Trump and his hostile takeover of our country."
  • The joint letter to Speaker of the House Jonathan Patterson expressed concerns about the lack of quorum and the failure of the Speaker's Designee to recognize their motion.
  • Patterson is set to make an appearance on Monday, but Reed, Fuchs, and Dean plan to stay on the House floor until then.
  • The special session on Friday only lasted five seconds, with House Republicans postponing discussion of the proposed legislation until next week.
  • Representative Dean criticized the way the special sessions have been conducted, stating that they were shorter than previous debates and skipped the prayer and pledge of allegiance.

Statistics:

  • 24 hours: The length of time the lawmakers plan to hold the floor in protest.
  • 2: The number of Democratic seats in the U.S. House that the proposed gerrymandered map would transfer to Republicans.
  • 1: The number of Democratic seats that the proposed gerrymandered map would transfer from Republicans to Democrats.
  • 8: The total number of congressional seats in Missouri.
  • 6: The number of congressional seats currently held by Republicans in Missouri.
  • 2: The number of congressional seats currently held by Democrats in Missouri.
  • 48 seconds: The length of yesterday's special session.
  • 5 seconds: The length of the special session on Friday.

Sources:

  • komu.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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