Throughout American history, many minority groups have faced significant barriers to the right to vote. Traditionally, specific populations concerned with protecting their power over others have maintained tight control over this privilege. In doing so, violations of fundamental human rights have occurred; state and federal governments have established voting restrictions based on race. Fortunately, several methods were adopted to overcome these limitations which led to the voting practices used today. These recent legislations enacted by the government have benefited the voters. This research paper will go in depth with the major restrictions, established by states or government, placed on different races in America, examine overcoming these limitations, and take a small look at what voting is like today and the acts put in place by the government to help voters have a more pleasant voting experience. There is no “right to vote” in the United States Constitution, so each state has taken it upon itself to decide who can vote (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, 1). States set their own standards and evolved separately unless federal laws pertaining to each state were passed. This independence eventually led to segregation between those who had the privilege of voting and those who did not. Although there were many discriminating hardships imposed on different races in America, the government also recognized these unnecessary restrictions and made decisions to outlaw these limitations. There were many steps in the fight for the vote in America in the late 1700s and early 2000s, but this analysis focuses on the major restrictions and overcoming these limitations to the Wh...... half of document ......everyone has the right to vote today. The restrictions have been overcome and the fights for the vote are now stifled. Works Cited Cobb-LaMarche (2004) History of Voting Rights in America. http://www.iwantmyvote.com/recount/history/. 26 October 2011 9.35am Historical facts (2011) Important dates in the history of voting. http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/hancock/pol204/history.htm. October 26, 2011 9:56am Mintz, Steven The Gilder Lehrman Institution of American History (2004) Winning The Vote: A History of Voting Rights. http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/09_2004/historian.php. November 1, 2011 10:15 Pearson Education (2011) Voting rights in the United States. http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html. November 18, 2011 11:50am Student Research Guide to Dewey and Dewey Decimal Classification (2008). http://www.aresearchguide.com/1steps.html#step4. November 18 2011 12:01.