Question

How might a poll tax or literacy test be used to prevent someone from voting?

Answer 1

Poll taxes were taxes that everyone had to equally pay to vote. The taxes were usually between $1-$3, which was extremely expensive back then, especially to those who had low income, who were usually people of color or disabled people. If you didn't pay, you couldn't vote. Literacy tests were tests given to everyone before they could poll. They were often given in three sections: reading aloud portions of the state or US Constitution, handwriting sections of the Constitution that were dictated, and answering written questions based on the government. The people who ran the tests would give the easy questions to the white people, and the hard ones to the colored or mentally challenged people. An example of a question they would've given to a colored person would be "Draw a line around the shortest word in this line" which is extremely confusing, especially to those mentally challenged.

Answer 2

A poll tax could prevent someone from voting if they are too poor to be able to afford to pay the tax. A literacy test could be used if the person didn't have a formal education that taught them how to read.