Since then, the right to vote has steadily been expanded. Eight of the 16 amendments to the Constitution adopted since the Bill of Rights have involved voting rights. Despite constitutional guarantees, other restraints kept minorities from voting. By 1940 only three percent of Southern blacks of voting age were registered. Now, protective laws bar poll tests, mandate bilingual assistance where needed and prohibit the government from making policies that dilute the proportional representation of a racial or ethnic group.
Many states have laws helping persons with disabilities, the homeless and others to vote.
The 1992 presidential election showed the highest voter turnout since 1972. Claiming that the Motor Voter Act unconstitutionally requires states to carry out a federal responsibility, several states have sued in U.S. Federal District Court.