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

Suttles that upheld the constitutionality of the poll tax.

From Salon • Jul. 31, 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

The police routinely arrested masses of people for pass violations, possession of liquor, and failure to pay the poll tax.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela