Poll Tax in Virginia
The poll tax, also known as a head tax, was used as a type of voting fee. The poll tax was used for many centuries, but it came under fire in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s when the Civil Rights movement was first starting to enter the scene. Virginia, which was one of eight remaining states still using the poll tax, was undergoing pressure from both sides of the political spectrum. Democrats wanted to repeal the poll tax, and Republicans wanted to keep it. The Breedlove v. Suttles case was important during this time because it opened up the question of whether poll taxes were constitutional or unconstitutional. Those who were for a repeal of the poll tax stated that it was unconstitutional because of the use of it against African Americans. Established as a part of the Jim Crow laws, the tax was used to keep African Americans from voting. Many African Americans at the time could not afford the tax, and unlike the poor white Americans, there were no loopholes or exceptions. The “grandfather clause” of the poll tax stated that poor Americans whose ancestor voted before the Civil War could vote, but this ruled out any African Americans. Since they could not pay the tax, they could not vote in elections. After many decades of debate and the Civil Rights movement, the 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed in 1964. This amendment stated that the payment of a poll tax could not keep a citizen from voting in a federal election. Two years later, Virginia repealed the poll tax.
Due to Edwin Lynch's position as a Democratic delegate of the Virginia General Assembly, it can be inferred that he was for the elimination of the poll tax. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Democratic party was for the Civil Rights movement, and the elimination of the poll tax was a part of that movement.
References
Boudin, Louis B. "State Poll Taxes and the Federal Constitution." Virginia Law Review 28, no. 1 (1941): 1-25. doi:10.2307/
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Democratic Party.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., March 5, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Democratic-Party#ref308573.
Heinemann, Ronald, John Kolp, Anthony Parent, and William Shade. Old Dominion, New Commonwealth: a History of Virginia, 1607-2007. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2008.
“Poll Taxes.” National Museum of American History, May 3, 2018. https://americanhistory.si.edu/democracy-exhibition/vote-voice/keeping-vote/state-rules-federal-rules/poll-taxes.
United States Constitution Article XXIV, Section 1.