Arkansas
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 Arkansas, then national events that apply here. See the national timeline.
In Arkansas
1994
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Federal court conditionally certifies classes in a disabled and elderly voter suit against Pulaski County election commissioners
In McKay v. County Election Commissioners for Pulaski County, a federal court in the Eastern District of Arkansas certified, conditionally, a class of "all disabled and elderly Arkansas voters" and a class of "all county election commissioners for the state of Arkansas." The court cited the Americans with Disabilities Act and Arkansas's Disabled Voters - Special Procedures Act.
Source last checked Oct 22, 2026
1992
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Federal court enforces settlement of a Gould mayoral election dispute and bars a run-off
In Allen v. Lincoln County Election Commission, a federal court enforced a settlement of a suit over the city election in Gould, Arkansas. The plaintiff, a mayoral candidate, had lost by four votes and alleged that non-residents were allowed to vote. The settlement called for a special election, and the Lincoln County Election Commission was to purge ineligible names from the voter list. After the special election produced no majority, the court enjoined the run-off the Commission had declared and declared the plaintiff the winner.
Source last checked Oct 22, 2026
Nationwide
1993
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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
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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."
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 · Back to the 2026 voting center.