At this time only white land-owning men could vote in elections. It wasn't until 1856 that the right to vote was expanded to all white men in every state. This expansion of voting rights allowed more men to vote and increased the percentage of voters who went to the polls. Previous to this voting amendment, only the elite could vote, and the expansion of suffrage more people could let their voice be heard.

This amendment extended the right to vote to African American males and barred the denial of the right to vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This amendment prevented the states from passing laws that outright denied African American males the ability to vote, but they found away around that with the grandfather clause and poll taxes in the South.

This amendment was ratified into the Constitution in 1920 and extended the right to vote to women. It protected them from States denying citizens the right to vote based on sex.

The Indian Citizenship Act was passed in 1924 and granted full citizenship to Native Americans that also gave them the right to vote despite tribal affiliation. However, despite the passage of this law many states still barred Native Americans from becoming full citizens for more than 40 years after its passage. Once all the states recognized the citizenship act, Native Americans had full unrestricted citizenship, which includes the right to vote.

The McCarren Walter Act of 1952 granted Asian Americans the right to citizenship and vote. Prior to the passage of this act, the 15th amendment allowed all citizens to vote despite race, but many Asian Americans were still restricted from voting with literacy tests, property requirements, and intimidation. The passage of this act stopped laws from barring Asian Americans from voting like they had been previously.

The twenty-third amendment was ratified to the Constitution in 1961 and gave the District of Columbia electors in the electoral college, but no more than the least populous state, so at least two electors. While they gained two electors, they did not gain House or Senate Representatives. This amendment allows DC to have a say in the election of the president.

The twenty-fourth amendment was ratified to the Constitution in 1964 and outlawed the use of poll taxes to deny certain groups of people from voting. These amendment protected poorer citizens right to vote by stopping the passage of laws that violated the 14th amendments equal protection clause.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to outlaw methods that prevented groups of people from voting like literacy tests and allowed the Justice Department to oversee states that had low voter turnout for any discrimination. This law protected many groups of peoples rights to vote like African Americans, women, Asian American, and Native Americans.

The twenty-sixth amendment was ratified to the constitution in 1971 and gave citizens 18 years and older the right to vote. This was the result of the draft and many protests about not having a voice in government, but were being drafted into the military. This amendment gave them the right to have a voice and a way to advocate for policies they believe in.

The Voting Rights Act was reauthorized in 1975 and extended the provisions of the previous act for several more years. It was also expanded to protect against voter discrimination based on language barriers. This expansion allowed many language minority groups to exercise their rights as citizens to vote and ensure that they were protected.

The Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act was passed to ensure the elderly and handicapped could access polls in order to vote. This law holds polling centers accountable for ensuring all citizens can exercise their rights to vote with the proper accommodations. It helps protect the right of all Americans despite age or ability to vote.