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

Thoreau believed slavery was morally reprehensible, and refused to pay a poll tax supporting the government that allowed it.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax, objecting to slavery and the Mexican War.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

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

“We have a copy of the poll tax book listing all the registered voters in Little Rock,” said Mrs. Brewer.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine