A poll tax is a fixed fee that individuals must pay in order to vote in elections. This tax was historically used in various countries, including the United States, as a requirement for voter registration. The idea behind the poll tax was to ensure that only those who could afford to pay it could participate in the electoral process. Poll taxes were often criticized for being discriminatory, as they disproportionately affected low-income individuals and marginalized groups, such as African Americans. In the U.S., the practice was eventually abolished with the passage of the 24th Amendment in 1964, which prohibited poll taxes in federal elections, and later by the Supreme Court in 1966 for state elections.