Which method was used by Georgia to prevent African Americans from voting?

Georgia, like many Southern states during the Jim Crow era, implemented literacy tests and poll taxes as key strategies to disenfranchise African American voters. These methods were designed to create barriers that disproportionately affected Black citizens and poor white citizens.

Literacy tests required individuals to demonstrate reading and comprehension skills, which many African Americans were systematically deprived of due to the lack of access to quality education. These tests often came with subjective grading, allowing white registrars to determine who passed or failed based on arbitrary standards.

Poll taxes required voters to pay a fee to access the ballot, effectively discouraging those without financial means—often, African Americans and some poor whites—from voting. This economic barrier further entrenched racial discrimination in the voting process.

In contrast, the other options, such as offering incentives for non-participation or limiting voting hours, were not widespread practices for disenfranchisement in Georgia. While requiring identification has become a more contemporary issue, during the peak of Jim Crow laws, literacy tests and poll taxes were the primary tools utilized to suppress African American voting rights. The use of these discriminatory practices played a significant role in maintaining systemic racial inequality in the electoral process.