U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell has won a rematch in a Missouri Democratic primary against former Rep. Cori Bush, an outspoken activist who had been part of a progressive group of House members known as the Squad. Bell’s primary victory Tuesday is likely to propel him to reelection in November in the heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District in St. Louis. Bell was backed by a political group affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The pro-Israeli group also financed his ouster of Bush in the 2024 primary. The contest between Bell and Bush, who received support from democratic socialists, tested how much the Democratic Party has shifted over the past two years.

Missouri’s top election official has rejected a petition for a statewide referendum on new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump. Supporters submitted hundreds of thousands of signatures to try to force a November election on a new U.S. House map approved by the Republican-led state Legislature. But Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins asserted Tuesday that the petition is unconstitutional because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums. A group backing the referendum effort plans to challenge Hoskins’ decision in court. Missouri was the second Republican-led state, after Texas, to respond to Trump’s call to redraw congressional districts to the GOP’s advantage.

Missouri voters are deciding on a measure that could make it much harder to amend the state constitution. Proposed Amendment 4 on Tuesday's ballot would require future amendments proposed by citizen initiatives to pass in all eight congressional districts, not just by a simple statewide majority. No other state has such a high standard. Supporters say it ensures all voices are heard. But critics argue it undermines majority rule. The proposal applies only to citizen initiatives, not those referred by the Legislature. Missouri's measure comes after other states have tried to make it harder to pass initiated amendments by requiring a 60% threshold statewide.

A judge in Wisconsin has ruled that voters who have already returned their absentee ballots for the state’s primary election are not allowed to void those and request a new one. The Dane County Circuit Court judge on Wednesday ruled against Democrats, who filed a last-minute lawsuit ahead of the Aug. 11 primary. Three Democratic candidates for governor have dropped out of the race and one has reentered it, creating a chaotic party primary. The ruling comes after more than 117,000 voters have already returned absentee ballots.

The U.S. Postal Service is emerging as a pivotal player as the midterm elections approach. President Donald Trump is seeking greater control over mail balloting while a change to how the agency processes mail is leading to criticism that it’s failing to deliver ballots on time. Democratic officials have raised concerns over the past week about how quickly the Postal Service will process ballots after tens of thousands of them in California and hundreds in Wisconsin arrived at local election offices too late to be counted in elections earlier this year. A legal fight over Trump's executive order on mail balloting is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.