Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumConstitutional Amendments and Voting Rights

Although the Twenty-Fourth Amendment prohibited the use of poll taxes in federal elections, several states continued to require poll taxes for state and local elections. Which of the following best explains how poll taxes were eventually eliminated for all elections in the United States?

  1. The Supreme Court ruled in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections that state poll taxes violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.Answer
  2. B
    The Twenty-Sixth Amendment was ratified, extending the ban on poll taxes to all state and local elections.
  3. C
    Congress invoked the Commerce Clause of Article I to regulate state voting procedures and outlaw local poll taxes.
  4. D
    States voluntarily abolished poll taxes to align with the core democratic ideal of direct democracy as outlined in the Declaration of Independence.

Answer

The Supreme Court ruled in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections that state poll taxes violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The correct answer is correct because the Twenty-Fourth Amendment only outlawed poll taxes in federal elections. The complete prohibition of poll taxes at all levels of government was achieved when the Supreme Court ruled in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966) that state poll taxes violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the scope of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment.
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment specifically banned poll taxes in federal elections (presidential and congressional elections) but did not explicitly cover state or local elections.
This leaves state-level poll taxes theoretically permissible unless checked by another constitutional provision.
2
Identify the mechanism that extended this prohibition to state and local elections.
In the 1966 case Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, the Supreme Court used judicial review to address state-level poll taxes.
The Court ruled that wealth or the payment of a fee cannot be used as a voter qualification under the Equal Protection Clause.
3
Select the option that correctly describes this Fourteenth Amendment mechanism.
The option referencing the Supreme Court's ruling on the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment is the correct explanation.
This represents the legal path that completed the elimination of poll taxes at all levels of government.

Key Concept

Constitutional Amendments and Voting Rights
Rate this question

Topics

Constitutional Amendments and Voting Rights

More questions from this topic