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During the start of American politics, there were restrictions on who could vote. Typically, only white adult males who had property and could pay a certain amount of taxes could vote. Therefore, voting participation was meager with less than 30% of white male adults.
However, voter participation began to rise during 1820 and 1840 due to property qualifications for voting and officeholding being repealed. Rather than indirect methods of election, direct methods took place, increasing voter participation. Along with this, a two-party system took formation and with that, America's modern political system had been created.

Prompts:

Time period: 1820-1840
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: white adult males without property
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: Initially, only adult white males with property could vote. With this new legislation, now adult white men even without property were given the right to vote, leading to an increase of 80% of them going to polls compared to the 30% from before.

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Time period: Passed on February 26, 1869, and ratified February 3, 1870
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: African American males
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation:  Federal or state governments are unallowed from denying the right to vote to citizens based on race.

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Time period: Passed on August 20, 1920
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to:  women
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: With the 19th Amendment, state and federal governments are prohibited from banning women from voting.

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Time period: 1924
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: Native Americans
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: Any Native American born within the US is given citizenship, and therefore, the right to vote (regardless of tribal affiliation)

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Time period: 1952
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: Asian-Americans
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: With the McCarren Walter Act of 1952, Asian-Americans are given the right to become a citizen, and therefore, the right to vote.

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Time period: Passed on June 16, 1960
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: citizens in the District of Columbia
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: With this amendment, the American citizens living in the district of Columbia are allowed to vote for presidential electors who then vote for the Electoral College for the President and Vice President.

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Time period: Ratified on January 23, 1964
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: people who couldn't afford to pay the poll tax
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: The state or federal government is prohibited from restricting voter's right to vote based on a poll tax.

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Time period: Passed 1965
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: People of color
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: By removing the unfair literacy tests and other discriminatory means to exclude people of color from voting, now anyone could vote.

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Time period: Ratified on July 1, 1971
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: 18, 19, and 20 year olds
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: Federal and state governments are not allowed to restrict people based on age from ages 18 and up.

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Time period: 1975
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: People of color and language-minority citizens
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: With this legislation, the Voting Rights Act has been reinforced and voting literacy tests are permanently banned. This means that people of color who had previously been blocked by these unfair barriers could now vote.

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Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act

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Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act

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Time period: 1984
Who was suffrage (the right to vote) expanded to: Disabled people
Explain how voting rights are protected with this amendment/piece of legislation: With this piece of legislation, polling places are to be made more accessible for disabled people, making it so that people with disabilities are given the right to vote.