What tactics did southern states employ during the Jim Crow era to restrict African American voting rights?

The tactics used by southern states during the Jim Crow era to restrict African American voting rights were multifaceted and aimed at disenfranchising Black voters. The correct choice highlights key methods such as white primaries, literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses.

White primaries were used to exclude Black voters from participating in primary elections, which effectively meant that they could not influence which candidates would appear in the general election. Literacy tests were designed to assess a voter's reading and comprehension skills, but these tests were often applied subjectively and disproportionately affected African Americans, who might have had limited access to education due to systemic inequalities.

Poll taxes required voters to pay a fee to vote, which placed an economic barrier on many African Americans and poor whites. Grandfather clauses allowed individuals to bypass literacy tests and poll taxes if their grandfathers had been eligible to vote before the Civil War, which effectively exempted many white voters while keeping African Americans disenfranchised due to their ancestors' circumstances.

In comparison to the other options, while some methods like voter ID laws and residency requirements have been discussed in modern contexts, they are not primarily associated with the Jim Crow era. Additionally, electoral college adjustments and gerrymandering relate more to broader electoral mechanics rather