What Led to the Twenty-Fourth Amendment?
In the century following the Civil War, states — particularly in the South — used a variety of discriminatory practices to suppress Black voters and poor Americans. One of the most insidious tools was the poll tax: a fee charged to voters as a prerequisite to casting a ballot. Though it may have seemed neutral on the surface, the poll tax was used disproportionately to disenfranchise African Americans and low-income citizens. For many, especially in deeply segregated Southern states, the tax effectively silenced their voices at the ballot box.
By the mid-20th century, the civil rights movement had built significant momentum. Activists, organizations, and everyday citizens increasingly demanded an end to laws that perpetuated racial and economic inequality in voting. The poll tax became a central symbol of this injustice. President John F. Kennedy publicly supported eliminating it, and leaders in Congress began to push for a constitutional amendment to make that change permanent and nationwide.
What Did the Twenty-Fourth Amendment Do?
Ratified on January 23, 1964, the Twenty-Fourth Amendment prohibited the use of a poll tax in federal elections. Its text is direct and unequivocal: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.”
This was a major victory for voting rights. For the first time, the U.S. Constitution explicitly barred a financial barrier to voting in federal elections.
What Happened Next?
Although the Twenty-Fourth Amendment ended the poll tax in federal elections, some states continued to apply it to state and local elections, which meant millions of voters were still affected. Civil rights groups kept pressing for full repeal and enforcement.
In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court extended the protections of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, ruling that poll taxes in state elections were unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision finally ended the poll tax at all levels of government.
Why Was This Change Important?
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment marked a decisive step in dismantling Jim Crow-era voter suppression. It demonstrated that the federal government could and would act to protect citizens’ right to vote — especially for historically marginalized communities.
This amendment also paved the way for further reforms. Just one year later, in 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, a sweeping law that addressed broader discriminatory practices in voting. Together, these changes helped shift the political landscape of the nation and brought millions of new voices into the democratic process.
Stay Tuned for Moment #6
The fight to expand the right to vote in America has never been easy — but it has always been essential. Join us next week as we reveal Moment #6 in our OneV’s Top 20 Moments in American Voting History — another defining chapter in the story of American democracy.
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