What was the purpose of poll tax?

Answer 1

The poll tax, historically, was a tax imposed on individuals as a prerequisite for voting. Its primary purpose was to generate revenue for local or state governments, but it also served as a means of voter suppression.

In the United States, poll taxes became particularly associated with the disenfranchisement of African American voters and poor white voters in the South after the Reconstruction era. By requiring payment of a tax before one could vote, many individuals were effectively barred from participating in elections due to economic hardship.

The use of poll taxes as a voting requirement was declared unconstitutional in 1964 for federal elections by the 24th Amendment and was further reinforced by the Supreme Court's decision in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966), which ruled that poll taxes could not be imposed in state elections either.