What is the 24th Amendment?

The 24th Amendment to the Constitution prohibited the use of a poll tax as a means of denying any citizen the right to vote in any election for president, vice president, senators or representatives. Some states were denying voting privileges for failure to pay a poll tax.

This practice had started in some southern states in the late 19th century as a response to the 15th Amendment giving freed slaves the right to vote. By requiring payment of a poll tax, states effectively cut poor people and blacks out of the voting process. In early 1964, the ratification of the 24th Amendment brought an end to the discrimination of the poll tax.