poll tax

American  

[pohl] / poʊl /

noun

1. a capitation tax, the payment of which is sometimes a prerequisite to exercise the right of suffrage.

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poll tax British  

noun

1. a tax levied per head of adult population

2. an informal name for (the former) community charge

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poll tax Cultural  

1. A tax required as a qualification for voting. After the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution extended the vote to blacks in 1870, many southern states instituted poll taxes to prevent blacks from voting. The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1964, prohibits poll taxes for federal elections.

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Etymology

Origin of poll tax

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

The role meant he was involved in introducing the poll tax in Scotland, where it was piloted a year earlier than in England and Wales.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2024

That history motivates former Democratic Senator Rodney Ellis, who sponsored the Senate resolution to abolish the poll tax and remove the old stigma.

From Washington Times • Aug. 20, 2023

“As a Black man whose grandfather paid a poll tax, this whole ordeal is infuriating,” said Mr. Menefee, a Democrat.

From New York Times • May 10, 2023

However, the states can no longer limit the right to vote based on race, sex, failure to pay a poll tax or age if a voter is 18 years or older.

From Salon • Aug. 2, 2022

Here’s the poll tax gone, and more and more states passin’ anti-lynchin’ bills, and all kinds of equal rights.

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury