Overtonwindow is referring to historical policies in parts of the US that were used to suppress the black vote. These had nothing to do with actually ensuring a

Overtonwindow is referring to historical policies in parts of the US that were used to suppress the black vote. These had nothing to do with actually ensuring a literate electorate. White voters were often either exempt from the tests altogether or held to a much lower standard. The concern is something like wording the questions to be ideological shibboleths to let the "right sort of people" comment rather than checking for awareness of specific facts or claims.