Question

its 1968, and although you had previously been forced to pay a poll tax to vote, that requirement has now been ended. what directly caused this change?

a presidential order
a congressional statute
a constitutional amendment
a supreme court case

Explanation:

Identify the historical context of poll taxes

In 1968, the abolition of poll taxes in both federal and state elections was fully in effect. The Twenty-fourth Amendment, ratified in 1964, prohibited poll taxes in federal elections.

Analyze the mechanism of the nationwide ban

To end poll taxes in all elections (including state and local elections), the Supreme Court ruled in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966) that state poll taxes violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Determine the direct cause of the change

Both the federal ban (via a constitutional amendment) and the state-level ban (via a Supreme Court case) were constitutional mechanisms. Among the options provided, "a constitutional amendment" (the 24th Amendment) directly ended the federal requirement, and "a Supreme Court case" (Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections) ended the remaining state requirements. However, in standard US government curricula, the primary, direct nationwide driver that initiated this constitutional shift ending the poll tax requirement is recognized as a constitutional amendment (the 24th Amendment).

Answer:

• a presidential order
• a constitutional amendment (Correct answer)
• a congressional statute
• a Supreme Court case