Edward M. Kennedy Poll Tax Amendment

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On January 23, 1964, the Twenty-fourth Amendment, banning the poll tax in all federal elections, was ratified. As introduced, S. 1564 did not ban poll taxes for state and local election. The administration and many senators did not believe such a ban would withstand a constitutional challenge. The bill reported by the Judiciary Committee on April 9, however, included a complete ban on poll taxes. When the bill went to the floor, Mansfield and Dirksen deleted this provision and substituted one authorizing federal courts to determine if local poll taxes were racially discriminatory. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) sponsored a floor amendment that restored the committee-reported bill’s ban on all poll taxes, but on May 11, the Senate narrowly defeated Kennedy’s amendment by a vote of 45 to 49.

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Citation

Kennedy, Edward Moore, 1961-. "Edward M. Kennedy Poll Tax Amendment." Edward M. Kennedy Poll Tax Amendment, May 5, 1965; “Amendments to Senate bills, S. 1564 2 0f 2” folder, Original Bills and Resolutions, Box 26; Secretary of the Senate; 89th Congress; Records of the U.S. Senate, RG 46; National Archives.. Accessed 28 March 2024. https://acsc.lib.udel.edu/exhibits/show/legislation/item/200.

Dublin Core

Title

Edward M. Kennedy Poll Tax Amendment

Subject

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Description

On January 23, 1964, the Twenty-fourth Amendment, banning the poll tax in all federal elections, was ratified. As introduced, S. 1564 did not ban poll taxes for state and local election. The administration and many senators did not believe such a ban would withstand a constitutional challenge. The bill reported by the Judiciary Committee on April 9, however, included a complete ban on poll taxes. When the bill went to the floor, Mansfield and Dirksen deleted this provision and substituted one authorizing federal courts to determine if local poll taxes were racially discriminatory. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) sponsored a floor amendment that restored the committee-reported bill’s ban on all poll taxes, but on May 11, the Senate narrowly defeated Kennedy’s amendment by a vote of 45 to 49.

Creator

Kennedy, Edward Moore, 1961-

Source

Edward M. Kennedy Poll Tax Amendment, May 5, 1965; “Amendments to Senate bills, S. 1564 2 0f 2” folder, Original Bills and Resolutions, Box 26; Secretary of the Senate; 89th Congress; Records of the U.S. Senate, RG 46; National Archives.

Publisher

Association of Centers for the Study of Congress

Date

1965-05-05

Contributor

Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives and Records Administration

Rights

Materials on this site are provided for educational use under Fair Use outlined by U.S. Copyright law. This item may be protected under copyright. It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission from the copyright holder before publishing or reproducing materials. For assistance, please contact the contributor of this material.

Format

JPEG/PDF

Language

English

Type

Document

Identifier

cfla_0006.jpg
cfla_0007.pdf