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Right after the Civil War and the end of legalized enslavement, disgruntled racists were upset that they could not subject African-Americans to forced labor, so they decided to use their power to create new “legal” ways to keep them from advancement.
What are Poll Taxes?
Amendment 15 was ratified on February 3, 1870, allowing freed African-American men the right to vote. In response, Southern lawmakers created a poll tax, which was a price someone had to pay, sometimes for consecutive years, before they were allowed to cast their vote. Records of poll taxes show receipts of $2 charges in order to vote (equivalent to about $48 in 2025). This charge was cost-prohibitive for sharecroppers who paid most of their income to the landowner as rent.
While this fee applied to everyone, those who could prove their ancestors had voted prior to the Civil War (which obviously did not apply to many African-Americans) were able to have their poll tax waived.
The poll taxes disenfranchised thousands of voters, conveniently keeping power focused to the few and perpetuating white supremacy. And it didn’t stop at paying money, some states also required voters to pass literacy and other tests before they were allowed access to their civil right to vote.
When Did Poll Taxes Become Illegal?
The 24th Amendment was ratified on January 23, 1964, which made poll taxes illegal. However, as with all laws rooted in white supremacy, some states found or created loopholes in order to avoid allowing everyone equal rights. In 1966 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on Harper vs Virginia Board of Elections. Their ruling clearly stated that poll taxes were illegal at every level, citing it was a violation of the 14th amendment equal protection clause.
Are There Still Poll Taxes Today?
While we don’t have official poll taxes today, white supremacists continue to create loopholes meant to disenfranchise voters by making it more difficult to vote. Politicians continue to work to redline districts, limiting polling places in lower income areas, and requiring specific types of identification that cost money to obtain are all ways that make voting harder.
Some states require all felony fines to be paid prior to restoring voting rights as well. While this might sound like it makes sense, it’s quickly clear that it’s a cheap disguise for a poll tax once you realize that the fines have nothing to do with the actual felony – they are simply additional charges the state or county adds. The Fees and Fines Justice Center estimated that in 2016, these extraneous fees have disenfranchised over six million voters.
In 2025, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (aka the SAVE Act) attempts to limit the types of acceptable forms of voter identification. One of the effects of this bill would require women who have changed their last names to have a passport in order to register to vote. This disproportionally disenfranchises lower-income voters, because a passport costs between $130-165 and requires access to all necessary paperwork, transportation, time off work during open hours to submit the paperwork, etc.
On April 10, 2025, the bill has passed the House.
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