PRESENTATION OUTLINE
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment:
- Ratified on January 23, 1964
-Abolished poll tax for all federal elections
- Poll Tax: a tax imposed on every adult voting, regardless of income
- Stated that the right of the citizens of the U.S. to vote in any primary election shall not be denied by the U.S. or any other state by the reason of failure to pay any poll tax
Why was this amendment proposed?
- Low income citizens wanted a say in their government
- Poll taxes prevented numerous citizens from voting
Amendment Twenty-Four advantages:
- Allowed all citizens to vote, regardless of income
- Caused less protests because low income citizens were now pleased
Amendment Twenty-Four disadvantage:
- Loss of income for the states because of no poll tax
Amendment Twenty-Four Court Case:
- Harman v. Forssenius
- Virginia though that they could find a loophole and not abolish the poll tax. Instead, they told citizens that if they didn't want to pay poll tax, they had to sign a certificate stating their residency in Virginia six month prior to an election
- Virginia lost by a 0-9 vote
