This month marks the 50th anniversary of a key United States Supreme Court case that outlawed the poll tax. And as Michael Pope tell us, it's a case that had its origins in a Fairfax County case that went all the way to the high court.
The year was 1966. Members of the United States Supreme Court were considering a challenge to Virginia's poll tax. This was two years after the 24th Amendment outlawed the poll tax for federal elections. "What a lot of people don't realize is that states still had poll taxes for state-level elections," says Virginia legal expert Rich Kelsey, "And so this case was about does the 14th Amendment equal protection clause essentially apply the 24th Amendment to state elections."
In a six-to-three decision, a majority of justices decided that yes, the 14th Amendment does apply to state elections. Geoff Skelly at the University of Virginia Center for Politics says the $1.50 poll tax is the equivalent of about $12 today. He says, "That could be used to buy food. That could be used to buy other things, and so requiring people to pay in order to vote is going to by its very nature limit who can vote."
Today the poll tax is a distant memory, although the debate is now shifting to a different argument -- what kind of identification should voters have to present to cast a ballot. That's a question that continues to challenge judges and lawmakers.