Harper v. Virginia Board of Electors

The case of Harper v. Virginia Board of Electors (1966) addressed the constitutionality of poll taxes. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that requiring payment of a voting tax as a condition to vote violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court determined that voter qualifications should not be based on wealth or the payment of fees. This landmark decision effectively ended the use of poll taxes in state and local elections across the United States, reinforcing the principle that the right to vote should not be contingent on financial status. A poll tax is a tax levied on each person, often linked to the right to vote.123