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Voting history · Texas's 31st Congressional District

Texas's 31st Congressional District

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 district view: events tagged to this congressional district, then events that apply across Texas, then national events. An event is tagged to a district only when its source names that congressional district. See all of Texas.

Kind of event
Decade

In Texas's 31st Congressional District

No events have been tagged to Texas's 31st Congressional District yet. District events are added over time. The state and national events below also apply here.

Across Texas

1996

  1. Jun 13, 1996 State Courts and officials Struck down

    Supreme Court affirms ruling against Texas congressional Districts 18, 29 and 30 in Bush v. Vera

    In Bush v. Vera, decided June 13, 1996, the Supreme Court affirmed a district court judgment concerning Texas's 1990s congressional plan. The syllabus states that Districts 18, 29 and 30 "are subject to strict scrutiny" under the Court's precedents and records the Court's conclusion that the districts were unconstitutional.

    Congressional districts named: TX-18, TX-29, TX-30

    Related: Supreme Court decides Shaw v. Reno

    Source last checked Oct 23, 2026

  2. Jan 16, 1996 State Laws and rules Blocked by federal objection

    Justice Department objects under Section 5 to citizenship-file voter eligibility determinations

    In a letter of January 16, 1996, the Justice Department addressed Chapter 797 (1995), part of Texas's implementation of the National Voter Registration Act. The Department did not object to several provisions but stated that, on behalf of the Attorney General, it must object to Chapter 797 "insofar as it authorizes agency employees to make determinations of an individual's eligibility to register based on citizenship information contained in the agency's file."

    Related: National Voter Registration Act of 1993 becomes law

    Source last checked Oct 20, 2026

1992

  1. Mar 9, 1992 State Maps and lines Blocked by federal objection

    Justice Department objects under Section 5 to the 1992 Texas Senate redistricting plan

    In a letter of March 9, 1992, the Justice Department addressed Senate Bill No. 1 (1992), a Senate redistricting plan. The letter notes that a three-judge federal court in Terrazas had ruled in January 1992 that the enacted plan could not be implemented because it failed to satisfy Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and states that, on behalf of the Attorney General, the writer must object to the plan.

    Source last checked Oct 20, 2026

1991

  1. Nov 12, 1991 State Maps and lines Blocked by federal objection

    Justice Department objects under Section 5 to the 1991 Texas House redistricting plan

    In a letter of November 12, 1991, the Justice Department addressed Chapter 899 (1991), the redistricting plan for the Texas House of Representatives. The letter states: "on behalf of the Attorney General, I must object to the 1991 redistricting plan for the State House of Representatives because of the concerns relating to the proposed configurations for the areas discussed above."

    Source last checked Oct 20, 2026

Nationwide

1993

  1. Jun 28, 1993 National Courts and officials Decided by a court

    Supreme Court decides Shaw v. Reno

    On June 28, 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court held that voters stated a claim under the Equal Protection Clause by alleging that a reapportionment plan was "so irrational on its face that it can be understood only as an effort to segregate voters into separate districts on the basis of race," without sufficient justification.

    Source last checked Oct 23, 2026

  2. May 20, 1993 National Laws and rules Enacted

    National Voter Registration Act of 1993 becomes law

    Public Law 103-31, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, is dated May 20, 1993. The law states its purpose as "to establish procedures that will increase the number of eligible citizens who register to vote in elections for Federal office."

    Related: Supreme Court decides Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona · Supreme Court decides Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute

    Source last checked Oct 29, 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.