The 24th Amendment (1964) prohibited poll taxes in federal elections.

The 24th Amendment (1964) prohibited poll taxes in federal elections.

• A. False; poll taxes allowed in federal elections.
• B. True.
• C. True but with caveat about state elections.
• D. False; poll taxes only for local elections.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how voting rights were protected from financial barriers. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, makes it illegal to require a poll tax to vote in federal elections. That’s why the statement is true—the amendment directly bans poll taxes for voting in federal races (like those for president and Congress). It’s important to know this ban focuses on federal elections; the prohibition in state elections came later from the Supreme Court in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966), which held that poll taxes in state elections violate the Equal Protection Clause. So the amendment’s text is about federal elections, and the broader elimination of poll taxes nationwide was completed through later decisions.

The main idea here is how voting rights were protected from financial barriers. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, makes it illegal to require a poll tax to vote in federal elections. That’s why the statement is true—the amendment directly bans poll taxes for voting in federal races (like those for president and Congress). It’s important to know this ban focuses on federal elections; the prohibition in state elections came later from the Supreme Court in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966), which held that poll taxes in state elections violate the Equal Protection Clause. So the amendment’s text is about federal elections, and the broader elimination of poll taxes nationwide was completed through later decisions.