JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Opponents of Missouri’s new congressional map submitted thousands of petition signatures Tuesday calling for a statewide vote on a redistricting plan backed by President Donald Trump as part of his quest to hold on to a slim Republican majority in next year’s elections.

While a federal court decision Monday gives Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins the chance to reject the referendum, backers of the plan aren't expecting that move to hold up in state court.

Polling both nationwide and in Missouri has consistently shown that voters overwhelmingly oppose gerrymandering. The new Missouri map splits Kansas City-area voters into three GOP-leaning districts in an effort to force out of office Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected 90,000 signatures for a referendum on the newly redrawn congressional map, because they were collected before Gov. Mike Kehoe had signed the map into law.

A Democratic-backed group collected nearly three times the required number of signatures for a ballot referendum, a major step in its campaign to repeal the map.

The Franklin County Clerk's Office reminds voters of the importance of election preparedness and informed decision-making.