Legal Definitions - Twenty-fourth Amendment

The Twenty-fourth Amendment is a change to the United States Constitution that was approved in 1964. It makes it illegal for the federal and state governments to prevent someone from voting in a federal election because they didn't pay a poll tax or any other tax.

Before this amendment was passed, some states required people to pay a tax in order to vote. This was unfair because it meant that poor people, who couldn't afford to pay the tax, were not allowed to vote. The Twenty-fourth Amendment made it illegal to use taxes as a way to stop people from voting.

For example, imagine that a state passed a law saying that anyone who didn't pay a $50 tax couldn't vote in the next election. This would be against the Twenty-fourth Amendment because it's not fair to stop someone from voting just because they can't afford to pay a tax.

Another example would be if a person was denied the right to vote because they didn't pay a tax on time. This would also be against the Twenty-fourth Amendment because it's not fair to punish someone for not paying a tax by taking away their right to vote.