JEFFERSON CITY • Democratic leaders in the Missouri House say they will push to formally expel a state lawmaker who moved out of his district if he doesn’t first resign on his own.

In a letter sent to Republican Rep. Ron Hicks on Monday, House Minority Leader Jacob Hummel, D-St. Louis, and his top lieutenant, Rep. Gail McCann Beatty of Kansas City, call on Hicks to step down because he recently moved outside of the borders of his St. Charles County-based district.

When a state lawmaker moves out of his or her district, the Missouri Constitution says the seat must be declared vacant.

“If you are an honorable man, as we believe you to be, who takes seriously the solemn oath to follow the Missouri Constitution, you will resign your seat without delay,” the letter notes.

The Post-Dispatch reported last week that Hicks had moved from St. Peters to Dardenne Prairie in June, putting his new residence about 10 miles outside of the 107th House District that he’s served since 2012.