Answer:
The Virginia Constitution of 1902, like many other Southern state constitutions during the same period, included a series of provisions and clauses that were specifically designed to reduce and, in many cases, effectively eliminate the ability of African Americans and poor whites to vote. These provisions were part of a broader effort known as "Jim Crow" laws, which aimed to disenfranchise Black citizens and maintain racial segregation. Some of the key provisions in the Virginia Constitution of 1902 included:
Literacy Tests: The constitution required voters to pass literacy tests, which often included complex and discriminatory questions that were difficult for many citizens to answer. These tests were often administered subjectively, allowing officials to disqualify voters based on their race or political beliefs.
Grandfather Clause: The constitution included a grandfather clause that exempted individuals from the literacy tests and other restrictions if they could prove that their grandfathers had been eligible to vote before the Civil War. This provision disproportionately favored white voters while excluding Black voters whose ancestors had been enslaved.
Poll Taxes: The constitution imposed poll taxes on voters, requiring them to pay a fee in order to cast their ballots. The poll tax disproportionately affected poor citizens, including many poor whites and African Americans, who could not afford to pay the tax.
"Understanding Clause": This clause allowed registrars to require voters to interpret a section of the Virginia Constitution to prove their understanding of it. This provision was often used to disqualify Black voters.
Disenfranchisement of Felons: The constitution disenfranchised individuals convicted of certain crimes, which disproportionately affected African Americans due to discriminatory criminal justice practices.
These provisions and clauses were part of a broader strategy to restrict voting rights and maintain white supremacy in the South. They were successful in disenfranchising a significant portion of the African American population and poor whites in Virginia, effectively suppressing their political power for decades. It wasn't until the civil rights movement and federal legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that many of these discriminatory voting practices were challenged and dismantled.
Step-by-step explanation: