Honorable Edward M. Kennedy
United States Senator, Massachusetts, Democrat
Senator Kennedy served in the U.S. Senate from 1962 until his death in 2009. He chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1979 to 1981; the Labor and Human Resources Committee from 1987 to 1995; and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee from 2007 to 2009. The following is from the April 13, 1965, Senate floor debate on S. 1564, the Voting Rights Act. At the present time, five States require payment of poll taxes as a condition of voting in State and local elections: Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia. Arkansas has just adopted a constitutional amendment to abolish…
