Poll taxes were fees imposed on individuals in order for them to vote in elections. These taxes disproportionately affected African Americans and other minority groups, effectively limiting their access to voting rights.
Related terms
Voting Rights Act of 1965: Federal legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in voting practices, including poll taxes.
Disenfranchisement: The denial or restriction of voting rights.
Jim Crow Laws: State and local laws that enforced racial segregation after Reconstruction until the mid-20th century.