South Carolina
A dated list of changes to how Americans vote: district maps, polling places and drop boxes, voting laws and rules, and courts and election officials. Each entry says who did what and when, shows what became of it, and links to the page it rests on. Attempts that failed are listed as failed. Entries that rest on a news report name the outlet.
This is the state view: events recorded for South Carolina, then national events that apply here. See the national timeline.
In South Carolina
2011
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Justice Department objects under Section 5 to the photo ID requirement in South Carolina Act R54
In a letter of December 23, 2011, the Justice Department wrote that it did not object to sections 1, 2, 3 and 6 of Act R54 (2011) but that, as to section 5, which would require voters to present one of five forms of photo identification to vote in person, "I cannot conclude that the state has sustained its burden under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Therefore, on behalf of the Attorney General, I must object to section 5 of Act R54." The letter cites the state's own data: 239,333 registered voters (8.9%) lacked DMV-issued photo ID, including 8.4% of white registered voters and 10.0% of non-white registered voters, and it says the submission did not include evidence of in-person voter impersonation that the new rule could deter.
- U.S. Department of Justice: Section 5 determination letter to the State of South Carolina, December 23, 2011 (Act R54) ↗
- U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division: Voting Determination Letters for South Carolina (index) ↗
Source last checked Oct 21, 2026
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South Carolina enacts Act R54, requiring photo ID to vote with a "reasonable impediment" exception
According to the three-judge court, the General Assembly passed Act R54 on May 11, 2011, and Governor Nikki Haley then signed it. The court described the law as adding passports, military IDs and a free photo voter registration card to accepted IDs, and as allowing voters with a non-photo registration card to vote after signing an affidavit stating the reason they had not obtained a photo ID.
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
Nationwide
2019
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House passes Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019; no Senate vote follows
On December 6, 2019, the House passed H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019, by 228 to 187 (Roll no. 654). It was received in the Senate on December 9, 2019 and referred to the Judiciary Committee; the bill record lists no Senate vote, and it did not become law.
Source last checked Oct 31, 2026
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House passes For the People Act of 2019; no Senate vote follows
On March 8, 2019, the House passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2019, by 234 to 193 (Roll no. 118). The bill was received in the Senate on March 12, 2019 and placed on the Senate calendar; the bill record lists no Senate vote on passage, and it did not become law.
Source last checked Oct 29, 2026
2018
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President signs Executive Order 13848 on foreign interference in U.S. elections
Executive Order 13848, dated September 12, 2018, imposes sanctions authority in the event of foreign interference in a U.S. election. The order says "there has been no evidence of a foreign power altering the outcome or vote tabulation in any United States election" and declares a national emergency over the threat of interference.
Source last checked Nov 1, 2026
How this timeline is built
Every entry rests on at least one source that was opened and read, and that source states the date and the fact. Courts, legislatures, election offices, the Justice Department, the Census Bureau, the Federal Register and Congress.gov come first. A news report is used only when no official page states the fact, and it is labeled with the outlet's name. Encyclopedias are not used as sources. History starts in 1965 with the Voting Rights Act. County names come from the Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer. Congressional district numbers are those in use for the 2026 election; an event is tagged to a district only when its source names that congressional district.
When a later event changes an earlier one, such as a law later struck down, both entries are listed and point to each other. This page does not predict outcomes or say which party a change helps. U.S. House maps for 2026 · How people voted in past elections, by county · Back to the 2026 voting center.