Maine's 1st 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 Maine, then national events. An event is tagged to a district only when its source names that congressional district. See all of Maine.
In Maine's 1st Congressional District
No events have been tagged to Maine's 1st Congressional District yet. District events are added over time. The state and national events below also apply here.
Across Maine
2018
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Voters approve the people's veto, restoring ranked-choice voting for primaries and federal general elections
On June 12, 2018, in the first use of ranked-choice voting in Maine primaries, voters also approved the people's veto referendum. By the Secretary of State's account, ranked-choice voting would continue in primary elections and would be used for U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress in the general election beginning November 6, 2018.
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
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Federal judge refuses to block ranked-choice voting in the Maine Republican Party primary
The Maine Republican Party sued on May 4, 2018 to stop ranked-choice voting in its June 12 primary. On May 29, 2018 Judge Jon D. Levy denied the injunction, finding that because the law "does not regulate who may participate in a primary or intrude on the Maine Republican Party's internal governance or processes," its effect on the party's associational rights was not a severe burden.
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
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Maine Law Court rules ranked-choice voting is law for the June 2018 primaries
On April 17, 2018, in Maine Senate v. Secretary of State, the Supreme Judicial Court, on questions reported by the Kennebec County Superior Court, held that "ranked-choice voting is the current statutory law of Maine for the primary elections to be held on June 12, 2018." It found other questions nonjusticiable or moot.
- Maine Senate v. Secretary of State, 2018 ME 52 (Apr. 17, 2018) ↗
- Maine Secretary of State: A Timeline of Ranked-choice Voting in Maine (updated January 2021) ↗
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
2017
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Legislature delays ranked-choice voting until 2021 unless the Constitution is amended
The Legislature passed "An Act to Implement Ranked-choice Voting in 2021," which delayed implementation until December 1, 2021 unless voters ratified a constitutional amendment before then, and postponed it indefinitely otherwise. It became law without the Governor's signature on November 4, 2017 as Public Law 2017, chapter 316. Proponents then began a people's veto.
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
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Maine Supreme Judicial Court advises that ranked-choice voting conflicts with the Constitution for state general elections
On May 23, 2017, answering a question from the Maine Senate, the seven Justices responded: "Yes, the Ranked-Choice Voting Act conflicts with the Maine Constitution," as applied to elections for Representative, Senator and Governor, whose constitutional provisions call for election by a plurality of votes.
- Opinion of the Justices, 2017 ME 100 (May 23, 2017) ↗
- Maine Secretary of State: A Timeline of Ranked-choice Voting in Maine (updated January 2021) ↗
Source last checked Oct 20, 2026
2016
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Maine voters approve ranked-choice voting by citizen initiative
On November 8, 2016, Maine voters approved Question 5, which asked whether to allow voters to rank their choices in elections for U.S. Senate, Congress, Governor, State Senate and State Representative, 388,273 to 356,621, according to the Secretary of State's timeline. The law took effect January 7, 2017 but was not to apply to elections until after January 1, 2018.
- Maine Secretary of State: A Timeline of Ranked-choice Voting in Maine (updated January 2021) ↗
- Opinion of the Justices, 2026 ME 32 (Apr. 6, 2026) ↗
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 20, 2026
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Supreme Court decides Department of Commerce v. New York, on a census citizenship question
On June 27, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a challenge to the Commerce Secretary's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The syllabus says "The Enumeration Clause permits Congress, and by extension the Secretary, to inquire about citizenship on the census questionnaire," and the judgment was "affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded."
Source last checked Oct 29, 2026
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Supreme Court decides Rucho v. Common Cause
On June 27, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided cases from North Carolina and Maryland in which voters challenged congressional maps as partisan. The Court held that such claims present "political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts."
Source last checked Oct 29, 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 Oct 20, 2026
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Supreme Court decides Gill v. Whitford
On June 18, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed a challenge to Wisconsin's state legislative map as a partisan one. The Court held that "The plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate Article III standing."
Source last checked Oct 23, 2026
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Supreme Court decides Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute
On June 11, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court held that "The process that Ohio uses to remove voters on change-of-residence grounds does not violate the Failure-to-Vote Clause or any other part of the NVRA."
- Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, 584 U.S. 756 (2018), U.S. Reports, Volume 584 (Supreme Court) ↗
- Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, No. 16-980 (U.S. June 11, 2018), syllabus and opinions (Cornell Legal Information Institute copy) ↗
Source last checked Oct 22, 2026
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President terminates the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity
Executive Order 13820, dated January 3, 2018 and published January 8, 2018, revoked Executive Order 13799 and states that "the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity is accordingly terminated."
Source last checked Oct 29, 2026
2017
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Supreme Court decides Cooper v. Harris
On May 22, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed North Carolina's congressional Districts 1 and 12. The syllabus says the lower court "did not err in concluding that race furnished the predominant rationale for District 1's redesign and that the State's interest in complying with the VRA could not justify that consideration of race."
Source last checked Oct 23, 2026
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President establishes the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity
Executive Order 13799, dated May 11, 2017 and published May 16, 2017, established the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, chaired by the Vice President, to "study the registration and voting processes used in Federal elections."
Source last checked Oct 29, 2026
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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 29, 2026
2016
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Supreme Court decides Evenwel v. Abbott
On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court held that "a State or locality may draw its legislative districts based on total population," according to its syllabus.
Source last checked Oct 23, 2026
2013
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Supreme Court decides Shelby County v. Holder
On June 25, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional and that its formula can no longer be used as a basis for requiring places to get federal approval ("preclearance") before changing voting procedures.
Source last checked Oct 23, 2026
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Supreme Court decides Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
On June 17, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court held that "Arizona's evidence-of-citizenship requirement, as applied to Federal Form applicants, is pre-empted by the NVRA's mandate that States 'accept and use' the Federal Form."
Source last checked Oct 23, 2026
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President establishes the Presidential Commission on Election Administration
Executive Order 13639, dated March 28, 2013 and published April 3, 2013, established the Presidential Commission on Election Administration. The order says the commission "shall identify best practices and otherwise make recommendations to promote the efficient administration of elections."
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.