A "poll tax" is just what it says, a tax on the poll. Poll has several meanings in my Merriam-Webster but the NUMBER ONE definition is "HEAD." In fact, when I was a youngster I often heard this tax referred to as a "head tax." This refers to the "head" which sits atop your neck and shoulders. It was a tax paid by each male in thecommunity to cover basic operating costs for the government. A male had to pay it for the privilege of voting (females didn't vote). Bob COOK