Amendment 24

Section 1. 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.

Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

This amendment bans congress from requiring any sort of poll tax in order for a citizen to vote. Before this amendment poll taxes where a way to marginalize and exclude groups of people without violating any other part of the constitution.



This cartoon illustrates how poll taxes were used to exclude certain groups and influence elections.


Some controversy that occurs over this amendment is whether or not having to show a drivers license at the polls counts as a poll tax since you have to pay the state for it, and it technically belongs to the state. While the price is not much, forcing someone to present something that they paid the state for in order to vote could fall under a definition of a poll tax as described in this amendment.