The Twenty-Fourth Amendment - No Poll Taxes – The Right to Vote Is Not for Sale

Amendment 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.”

“Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

What the Twenty-Fourth Amendment Does

This amendment bans the use of poll taxes—fees charged as a condition for voting in federal elections.

In plain terms:

You do not have to pay money to vote. Period.

It ended the long-standing practice—especially in the South—of using taxes to keep poor Americans, especially Black citizens, from voting.

A Weapon of Suppression

After the Civil War, and especially during Jim Crow, many states required voters to pay a fee (often small in dollars but heavy in principle) to cast a ballot.

This was not about raising money.

It was about blocking the poor—Black Americans, immigrants, rural workers, and even some veterans—from participating in democracy.

• Couldn’t pay? No vote.

• Lost your receipt? No vote.

• Paid late? Still no vote.

Poll taxes were one of many tools used to weaken the Fifteenth Amendment, which had already banned racial discrimination in voting.

The Constitutional Fix

By the 1960s, the civil rights movement pushed for a permanent, national solution.

In 1964, the Twenty-Fourth Amendment was ratified.

It said once and for all:

“No American shall be charged to access a constitutional right.”

Voting is not a transaction. It’s a birthright.

Why This Still Matters

Even though poll taxes are now illegal, their spirit still shows up:

• Complicated voter ID laws

• Long lines in poor neighborhoods

• Fewer polling places in minority communities

• Hidden “costs” like taking time off work, travel, or navigating confusing rules

The Twenty-Fourth Amendment reminds us:

Any system that turns voting into a privilege instead of a right is unconstitutional.

Final Thought

Democracy means one person, one vote—not one dollar, one vote.

The Twenty-Fourth Amendment is more than a historical victory. It’s a living warning:

Any law, policy, or practice that prices people out of the political process is a betrayal of American values.

Let it be known:

The vote is sacred. And no one has to buy what they already own.