Hawaii
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 Hawaii, then national events that apply here. See the national timeline.
In Hawaii
2019
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Hawaii enacts Act 136: all elections by mail starting in 2020
Governor David Ige signed Act 136 (HB 1248, 2019), "Relating to Elections," into law on June 25, 2019, according to the Office of Elections' report to the Legislature. The act, which the Office of Elections lists as enacting voting by mail uniformly across all counties for all elections commencing in 2020, moved the state from the prior polling place model to elections by mail. The same list shows Act 135, requiring a mandatory recount when the margin of victory is equal to or less than one hundred votes or one-quarter of one percent, whichever is greater, and Act 137, allowing a voter with special needs to request electronic transmission of a ballot.
- Hawaii Office of Elections: Election Bills Passed During the 2019 Legislative Session ↗
- Hawaii Office of Elections: Implementing Elections by Mail ↗
- Implementing Elections by Mail, report to the Legislature (Hawaii Office of Elections, November 20, 2020) ↗
Source last checked Oct 21, 2026
2018
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Office of Elections opens a dual polling place at Pahoa Community Center for the 2018 primary
On July 6, 2018, the Chief Election Officer and the Hawaii County Clerk determined a dual polling place would operate at Pahoa Community Center on primary election day for voters in precincts 04-03 and 04-04 who had not yet voted, and that eligible unregistered voters could register in person there that day. The Star-Advertiser reported the Office of Elections had earlier planned to close both polling places over safety concerns and changed course after local candidates and the ACLU of Hawaii complained.
- Hawaii Office of Elections: Supplementary Proclamation (July 6, 2018) ↗
- Lava-affected Puna voters to share polling place ↗ News report, Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Source last checked Oct 23, 2026
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Hawaii County precincts hit by Kilauea eruption vote by mail in the 2018 primary
On June 7, 2018, the Chief Election Officer and the Hawaii County Clerk issued a joint proclamation that a natural disaster substantially impaired voters' ability to vote in precincts 04-03 and 04-04 in the August 11, 2018 primary. It declared the election in those precincts to be conducted by absentee mail ballot, with ballots mailed to all registered voters there during the week of June 25, 2018.
Source last checked Oct 30, 2026
2016
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Federal determination requires election materials for 2 language groups in Honolulu County, Hawaii
The Director of the Census Bureau's notice, published in the Federal Register on December 5, 2016 (81 FR 87532), lists Honolulu County, Hawaii, as covered by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act for these language minority groups: Chinese (including Taiwanese); Filipino. The notice says covered jurisdictions have a legal obligation to provide the minority language assistance that Section 203 prescribes; its table is titled bilingual election materials for voting rights. The county also appears in the 2021 notice.
- Federal Register notice, Voting Rights Act determinations under Section 203 (81 FR 87532, December 5, 2016) ↗
- Census Bureau Section 203 determination data files, 2016 ↗
Source last checked Oct 24, 2026
2015
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Supreme Court enjoins counting of ballots in Native Hawaiian delegate election
On December 2, 2015, the Supreme Court granted an application for injunction pending appellate review in Akina v. Hawaii, enjoining respondents from counting the ballots cast in, and certifying the winners of, the election described in the application, pending the Ninth Circuit's final disposition. The Associated Press reported the order halted the count in an election for Native Hawaiian self-governance delegates, challenged by plaintiffs who said residents without Native Hawaiian ancestry were excluded.
- Supreme Court order in Akina v. Hawaii, No. 15A551 (Dec. 2, 2015) ↗
- Supreme Court blocks Native Hawaiian election vote count ↗ News report, The Associated Press (via Hawaii News Now)
Source last checked Oct 30, 2026
2013
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Three-judge federal court upholds Hawaii's 2012 reapportionment plan
In Kostick v. Nago, a three-judge federal court denied a preliminary injunction against the 2012 Reapportionment Plan on May 22, 2012, and on July 11, 2013 granted summary judgment to the defendants, concluding the plan "does not violate the United States Constitution." The Hawaii Constitution specifies permanent residents as the population base, and the Hawaii Supreme Court had laid out a method for extracting non-resident military personnel, dependents and non-resident students.
Source last checked Oct 30, 2026
2012
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Hawaii Supreme Court invalidates the 2011 reapportionment plan
On January 4, 2012, the Hawaii Supreme Court granted the petitions in Solomon v. Abercrombie, holding the 2011 Final Reapportionment Plan constitutionally invalid because article IV, section 4 of the Hawaii Constitution mandates that only permanent residents be counted in the population base. It directed the Commission to file a new plan and the Chief Election Officer to rescind publication of the old one; the written opinion followed January 6, 2012.
Source last checked Oct 30, 2026
2011
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Federal determination requires election materials for 3 language groups in Honolulu County, Hawaii
The Director of the Census Bureau's notice, published in the Federal Register on October 13, 2011 (76 FR 63602), lists Honolulu County, Hawaii, as covered by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act for these language minority groups: Asian (Chinese); Asian (Filipino); Asian (Japanese). The notice says covered jurisdictions have a legal obligation to provide the minority language assistance that Section 203 prescribes; its table is titled bilingual election materials for voting rights. The county also appears in the 2016 notice.
- Federal Register notice, Voting Rights Act determinations under Section 203 (76 FR 63602, October 13, 2011) ↗
- Census Bureau Section 203 determination data files, 2011 ↗
Source last checked Oct 24, 2026
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Federal determination requires election materials for the Asian (Filipino) language group in Maui County, Hawaii
The Director of the Census Bureau's notice, published in the Federal Register on October 13, 2011 (76 FR 63602), lists Maui County, Hawaii, as covered by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act for this language minority group: Asian (Filipino). The notice says covered jurisdictions have a legal obligation to provide the minority language assistance that Section 203 prescribes; its table is titled bilingual election materials for voting rights. The county's name does not appear in the county listings of the 2016 notice (81 FR 87532).
- Federal Register notice, Voting Rights Act determinations under Section 203 (76 FR 63602, October 13, 2011) ↗
- Census Bureau Section 203 determination data files, 2011 ↗
Source last checked Oct 24, 2026
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Hawaii Reapportionment Commission files its 2011 legislative plan
The 2011 Reapportionment Commission adopted and filed its Final Reapportionment Plan for the state legislature on September 26, 2011. On January 4, 2012 the Hawaii Supreme Court invalidated it because it included non-permanent residents in the population base used to allocate legislators among the basic island units.
Source last checked Oct 30, 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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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.