Oregon
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 Oregon, then national events that apply here. See the national timeline.
In Oregon
2026
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Oregon Secretary of State announces 12 new ballot drop boxes in seven counties
On October 23, 2026, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read announced new official ballot drop boxes, paid for with emergency funding from the Oregon Legislature, that were in place and accepting ballots: one each in Coos County (Charleston), Crook County (Prineville), Deschutes County (Bend) and Klamath County (Klamath Falls); two in Jackson County (Medford and Shady Cove); four in Lane County (two in Eugene, Mapleton and Walterville); and two in Multnomah County (Corbett and Portland). The release says Oregon has more than 300 drop boxes, with more on the way, and advises voters who mail their ballots to send them by October 27.
Source last checked Oct 24, 2026
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Justice Department tells Oregon it will send election observers to Multnomah County
The Oregon Capital Chronicle reported that on Thursday, October 22, 2026, Justice Department lawyers told Oregon officials they will send election observers to Multnomah County for the November 3 election, and that Oregon was one of at least 10 states to receive such notices from the department's Civil Rights Division. Secretary of State Tobias Read said in a statement that observers may not talk to election workers, handle ballots or election materials, enter restricted election facilities or inspect voting equipment under Oregon's rules, and that "It is not legal for these observers or anyone else to interfere with Oregon's elections."
- Trump DOJ will send federal monitors to Multnomah County on Election Day (Oregon Capital Chronicle, Oct. 23, 2026) ↗ News report, Oregon Capital Chronicle (via News From The States)
Source last checked Oct 23, 2026
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Deschutes County adds a drive-through ballot drop box at Central Oregon Community College, making 13
The Deschutes County Clerk's Office announced on October 14, 2026 a new drive-through ballot drop box in Parking Lot D4 at the Central Oregon Community College Bend campus, bringing the county to 13 drop boxes for the November 3, 2026 election. Boxes were to open October 16.
Source last checked Oct 24, 2026
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Lane County installs three new ballot drop boxes and tests a smart drop box, bringing the total to 25
A Lane County Elections release of October 12, 2026 said the office was installing three new traditional ballot drop boxes and testing Oregon's first "smart" drop box that scans each return envelope's barcode, funded in part by emergency money approved in September by the Joint Emergency Board of the Oregon Legislature and distributed through the Secretary of State. All 25 county drop boxes were to open October 15, 2026.
Source last checked Oct 24, 2026
2024
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Multnomah County mails about 9,300 primary ballots missing a referendum, then sends replacements
A Multnomah County Auditor's report on the Elections Division states that for the May 2024 primary the division mistakenly mailed roughly 9,300 ballots that were missing a referendum that should have been included, found 170 registered voters whose district boundaries had not been updated after 2022 redistricting, and mailed replacement ballots to all affected voters before Election Day.
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
2022
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Clackamas County primary ballots misprinted; many have to be copied by hand
OPB reported that an election problem misprinted more than half of Clackamas County primary ballots, diverted hundreds of county employees from their normal jobs and cost taxpayers $600,000. The county clerk, Sherry Hall, later blamed outside businesses handling printing and mailing. KPTV reported on May 16, 2022 that the county was reassuring voters after defective barcodes were found on ballots.
- Oregon Secretary of State press release, June 10, 2022: Secretary of State Orders Post-Election Audit in Clackamas County ↗
- Clackamas County clerk blames multiple election mistakes on outside businesses ↗ News report, OPB
- Clackamas County reassures voters after defective barcodes found on ballots ↗ News report, KPTV
Source last checked Oct 22, 2026
Nationwide
2026
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Justice Department begins notifying counties it wants to monitor on Election Day 2026
NPR reported on October 21, 2026 that the Justice Department began notifying counties it wants to monitor on Election Day starting Tuesday, October 20. NPR confirmed notices to Adams County, Colorado; seven counties in Texas; King County, Washington; Miami-Dade County, Florida; and Hennepin and Ramsey counties in Minnesota. NPR reports that state officials were at first not notified at the same time as counties, and that a department spokesperson said it prioritizes places with competitive elections and would monitor Adams County because it is covered by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act. Colorado's Secretary of State's office told NPR it was considering how to respond, since state rules require observers to have its permission unless a court orders otherwise.
- The Justice Department begins notifying counties where it wants to monitor elections ↗ News report, NPR
Source last checked Oct 22, 2026
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Civil rights and labor groups sue over possible federal immigration agents near polling places
On September 18, 2026, a coalition of nine civil rights and union groups sued in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to prevent the deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to polling locations in November. States Newsroom reported it as the second such suit that month. The groups argue the policy violates the federal law that bars "armed men" at election sites and the Voting Rights Act's bar on intimidation. A Justice Department spokesperson said: "The DOJ has never said it would send federal law enforcement to polling locations." A Homeland Security spokesperson said ICE was not planning operations that targeted polling locations. No ruling is recorded here.
- U.S. District Court, D.D.C.: NAACP v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, No. 1:26-cv-03263, Complaint (Doc. 1, filed September 18, 2026; CourtListener copy) ↗
- A second lawsuit challenges plans to put ICE agents near polling places (September 21, 2026) ↗ News report, Government Executive (States Newsroom)
Source last checked Oct 21, 2026
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Latino and voting groups and the City of Denver sue over armed immigration agents at polling places
On September 10, 2026, the League of United Latin American Citizens, Common Cause, Common Cause Education Fund, UnidosUS and the City and County of Denver, Colorado filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (No. 1:26-cv-03157) against the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and their leaders. The complaint alleges that the Homeland Security Secretary's statements of September 1, 2026 set a policy of authorizing armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to go to polling places, which the plaintiffs say violates 18 U.S.C. § 592, the law that bars federal officials from keeping "any troops or armed men at any place where a general or special election is held" except to repel armed enemies of the United States. No ruling is recorded in this entry.
- Complaint, League of United Latin American Citizens v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, No. 1:26-cv-03157 (D.D.C. filed Sept. 10, 2026) (CourtListener RECAP copy) ↗
- Docket, No. 1:26-cv-03157 (D.D.C.) (CourtListener) ↗
Source last checked Oct 21, 2026
2025
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Justice Department announces it will monitor polling sites in six California and New Jersey counties
On October 24, 2025, the Justice Department announced that it would monitor polling sites ahead of the November 4, 2025 general election in six jurisdictions: Passaic County, New Jersey, and Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange and Los Angeles counties, California. The release says the Civil Rights Division would deploy personnel who would coordinate with U.S. Attorney's Offices.
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
2021
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Election Assistance Commission adopts Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 2.0
The Election Assistance Commission says that on February 10, 2021 its commissioners unanimously adopted version 2.0 of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines, the specifications against which voting systems are tested. The EAC says it stopped using versions 1.0 and 1.1 to certify voting systems as of November 16, 2023, and that previously certified systems are not decertified by that change.
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
2017
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Homeland Security designates election infrastructure as critical infrastructure
On January 6, 2017, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said he had determined "that election infrastructure in this country should be designated as a subsector of the existing Government Facilities critical infrastructure sector." The statement defines election infrastructure as including "storage facilities, polling places, and centralized vote tabulations locations" and voter registration databases and voting machines.
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
1984
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Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act becomes law
Public Law 98-435, dated September 28, 1984, is titled "To improve access for handicapped and elderly individuals to registration facilities and polling places for Federal elections."
Source last checked Oct 22, 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 · Back to the 2026 voting center.