Eleanor Finch
The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on January 23, 1964, prohibits both Congress and the states from requiring the payment of a poll tax or any other tax as a prerequisite for voting in federal elections. This amendment was proposed by Congress to the states on August 27, 1962, and was a significant step towards ensuring voting rights for all citizens, regardless of their economic status. The amendment specifically targeted the poll tax, which had been adopted by several Southern states, with the intention of preventing African Americans and poor whites from participating in elections. While the Twenty-fourth Amendment was a crucial milestone, it only applied to federal elections, and further legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, was necessary to address voting discrimination in state and local elections.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date proposed by Congress | 27 August 1962 |
| Date submitted to states | 24 September 1962 |
| Date ratified | 23 January 1964 |
| Prohibits | Poll tax or any other tax as a requirement to vote in federal elections |
| Applies to | Congress and the states |
| Voting rights | Extended to low-income citizens, both white and black |
Explore related products
![The Rules of the Law Society of British Columbia, Taking Effect on the 4th Day of October, 1897 (with Amendments) and the Legal Professions Act, R.S. 1897, C. 24, and Amendments [microform]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61hceDvrf-L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
What You'll Learn
Poll tax abolition
The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibited both Congress and the states from requiring the payment of a poll tax or any other tax as a condition for voting in federal elections. The amendment was proposed by Congress on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
The poll tax was adopted by Southern states in the late 19th century as part of a series of laws intended to exclude Black Americans from politics without violating the Fifteenth Amendment, which stated that voting rights could not be restricted by "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". Despite the Fifteenth Amendment, African Americans in the South faced several discriminatory laws that prevented them from voting. The poll tax, in particular, required voters to pay a fee to cast their ballots, which disproportionately affected African Americans and poor whites in the South, effectively excluding them from voting.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment abolished the poll tax in federal elections, making it illegal to charge any voter for the right to cast a ballot in these elections. This marked a significant shift in the protection of vulnerable groups' right to vote, as it removed the threat of complex legislative schemes established to disenfranchise certain voters.
However, the amendment only applied to federal elections, leaving African Americans in the South unable to vote in local and state elections. To address this, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which gave the U.S. Attorney General the authority to challenge the use of poll taxes in state and local elections. The Act also enforced the Fifteenth Amendment's guarantee of voting without racial discrimination.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment, along with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, represented a significant step forward in the pursuit of civil rights during the turbulent 1960s, ensuring that voting became a constitutional right for all Americans, regardless of race, class, or economic status.
Amending the Constitution: Understanding the Process
You may want to see also
Voting rights
The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits any US citizen from being denied their right to vote in any election for the President, Vice President, or any other elected official, on account of their failure to pay a poll tax or any other tax. This amendment was ratified on January 23, 1964, and was a significant step towards civil rights in the tumultuous 1960s.
The official text of the amendment states:
> 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 poll tax or other tax. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment was a response to the poll taxes imposed by several states, particularly in the South, which restricted the voting rights of African Americans and poor Whites due to their inability to pay the tax. These poll taxes were introduced in the late 19th century after the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, as a way to curb the civil liberties of the newly emancipated African Americans. Despite the Fifteenth Amendment granting all American men the right to vote, these taxes prevented many from exercising this right. The poll tax, along with other methods of restricting the vote, was crafted in a way to avoid federal scrutiny, and the Supreme Court case of Breedlove v. Suttles in 1937 further upheld the constitutionality of these taxes.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment was a crucial step in ensuring that voting rights were no longer tied to property qualifications, a practice that extended back to colonial times. The amendment's ratification was followed by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which eliminated all forms of discrimination in voting for all American citizens, making voting a constitutional right without any qualifications for the first time.
Reconstruction Amendments: Shaping Post-Civil War America
You may want to see also
Federal elections
The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the US Constitution prohibited any US citizen from being denied their right to vote in federal elections due to failure to pay a poll tax or any other tax. The amendment was ratified on January 23, 1964, and its official text reads:
> 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 poll tax or other tax. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment was a significant step towards civil rights and ended the practice of poll taxes, which had been used to restrict the voting rights of African Americans and poor whites, particularly in the South. The poll tax required voters to pay a fee to enter polling places and cast their ballots, effectively disenfranchising those who could not afford to pay.
Despite the Fifteenth Amendment granting all American men the right to vote, discriminatory laws and practices in the late 19th century, following the American Civil War and during the Reconstruction Era, restricted the voting rights of African Americans. The poll tax was one of these methods, and its elimination was a long process that began in Congress in 1939. The Twenty-fourth Amendment was passed in the same year as the Civil Rights Act, which ended legal segregation, and was followed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which eliminated all forms of voting discrimination for American men and women.
Even after the Twenty-fourth Amendment's ratification, several states continued to impose poll taxes in defiance of the new law. Poll taxes were officially eliminated after the 1966 Supreme Court decision, Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, which ruled that poll taxes were unconstitutional in all federal, state, and local elections.
Constitutional Amendments: Belgium's Story of Evolution
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Literacy tests
In the US, literacy tests were typically administered by white clerks, who could pass or fail a person arbitrarily. Illiterate whites were often exempt from these tests due to racial grandfather clauses written into legislation. For example, in some cases, whites were exempt from the literacy test if they met alternate requirements that, in practice, excluded black people, such as a grandfather clause or a finding of "good moral character".
The use of literacy tests was curtailed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which stated that literacy tests used as a qualification for voting in federal elections be administered wholly in writing and only to persons who had not obtained a sixth-grade education. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 further prohibited jurisdictions from administering literacy tests to citizens who had attained a sixth-grade education in an American school with a predominant language other than English, such as Spanish-speaking schools in Puerto Rico.
Despite these efforts, the use of literacy tests persisted in some states. In Morgan (1966), the Court held that Congress could enforce Fourteenth Amendment rights by prohibiting conduct that interfered with those rights, even if that conduct was not independently unconstitutional. As a result, the Voting Rights Act was amended in 1970 to expand the ban on literacy tests to the entire country. The Supreme Court upheld this ban as constitutional in Oregon v. Mitchell (1970), specifically for federal elections.
The 13th Amendment: Freedom from Slavery in the US
You may want to see also
Racial discrimination
The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits both Congress and the states from requiring the payment of a poll tax or any other tax as a condition of voting in federal elections. The amendment was proposed by Congress to the states on 27 August 1962 and ratified on 23 January 1964.
The poll tax was adopted by Southern states in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as part of a series of laws intended to exclude black Americans from politics without violating the Fifteenth Amendment. Although the Fifteenth Amendment granted the right to vote to all American men, African Americans in the South faced several discriminatory laws that restricted their voting rights. The poll tax, which required voters to pay a fee to enter polling places, disproportionately affected African Americans due to the higher levels of poverty in this demographic. This measure effectively prevented many African Americans, as well as poor whites, from voting.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment was a significant step towards addressing racial discrimination in voting rights. However, it only applied to federal elections, leaving African Americans in the South unable to vote in local and state elections. To further enforce voting rights, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which gave the US Attorney General the authority to challenge the use of poll taxes and other discriminatory practices in state and local elections.
The Supreme Court also played a crucial role in interpreting and upholding the Twenty-fourth Amendment. In the 1965 case of Harman v. Forssenius, the Court unanimously ruled that any measures imposing a poll tax or equivalent requirement as a prerequisite to voting in federal elections were unconstitutional. Additionally, in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966), the Supreme Court extended this ruling, declaring that poll taxes were unconstitutional in all elections, including federal, state, and local.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment and subsequent Supreme Court interpretations sent a clear message against racial discrimination in voting. They affirmed the right of all citizens to participate in the democratic process, regardless of race or economic status. This amendment was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, contributing to the broader goal of ending segregation and discrimination in the United States.
Amending the Constitution: Who Can Propose Changes?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The Twenty-fourth Amendment prohibited the federal and state governments from imposing taxes on voters during federal elections.
The poll tax was used to prevent African Americans and poor whites from voting.
The outcome of the Breedlove v. Suttles case in 1937 was that the Supreme Court deemed poll taxes constitutional.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment changed the landscape of voting rights in America by eliminating restrictions imposed by states, such as poll taxes or literacy tests.
