What term refers to a fee required to vote that Southern states used to prevent Blacks from voting?

• A. Grandfather clause
• B. Poll Tax
• C. Literacy test
• D. Voter registration fee

Answer: (B)

Poll tax is the term for the fee charged to voters, used in the Jim Crow era to impede Black citizens from voting. Because many Black voters were economically marginalized, the payment acted as a barrier that effectively disenfranchised them, while white voters could often afford it. This distinguishes it from a literacy test (which assessed reading/writing skills), a grandfather clause (which tied voting rights to ancestors’ status), or a general voter registration fee (not specifically a fee to vote). The poll tax is the specific mechanism described in the question.