Poll taxes

Definition

Poll taxes are fees that were historically levied as a precondition for voting, primarily used to disenfranchise African American and poor white voters in the United States. They were abolished federally by the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1964.

Related terms

Disenfranchisement:

The revocation of someone's right to vote, often through mechanisms like poll taxes or literacy tests.

24th Amendment:

An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibited poll taxes in federal elections.

Voter Suppression:

Strategies used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting