Amendment XXIV
Ratified: January 23, 1964
Summary
Prohibits the use of poll taxes in federal elections.
Full Text
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.
History and Context
The Twenty-fourth Amendment was a major victory of the Civil Rights Movement. After the 15th Amendment was ratified, many Southern states implemented poll taxes as a way to disenfranchise poor Black voters (and poor white voters as well). This tax on voting was a significant barrier to the ballot box. The amendment made it unconstitutional to charge a poll tax in any federal election. It was a crucial step in dismantling the Jim Crow system of segregation and voter suppression, reinforcing the principle that the right to vote should not be dependent on one's wealth.