Wyoming Vote Tracker

Probably one of the things taken for granted most often in this country is the power that We the People have. The third Tuesday of August (for Wyoming) and first Tuesday of November on even-numbered years where we get to take a sheet of paper into a booth, fill in an oval next to our favored candidate (or even write in the name of our favored candidate), and submit that ballot anonymously without fear of an authoritative back-lash for the choices we made.

Try voting your conscience in a Saddam-ruled Iraq. Everyone (i.e. liberals) loved to talk about how he got huge re-election numbers, nigh unto 100%. I imagine there was a healthy fear that if you voted “no,” you just might not get to “vote” in the next election.

Now look at Iraq. People turned out in huge numbers to decide who their lawmakers were going to be, who was going to lead the country, what the new Constitution would say. On top of that, they risked their lives doing it. Not because some spy agency was keeping tabs on who was going to the polls and who wasn’t, but because in the country’s efforts to democratize in the face of the naysayers, a war was being fought. Still, the threat of a car bomb or bomb-strapped kamikaze-type terrorist could not shut up the voice of the citizens. The people showed up to do their patriotic duty and I bet that an overwhelming majority of the voters that turned out were informed on the issues to make wise decisions.

Now let’s return to America and narrow our 18 and above citizenry down just a bit and talk about the women. The inspiration for this post comes from an op-ed that I recently read. Fourscore and seven years ago (87 years for those of you in Emblem), the Constitution was officially amended for the 19th time with these words:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Gender discrimination at the polls was no longer permitted. A timeline documents the long history of women and voting in in the USA. All the way back to 1776 when Mrs. John Adams petitioned her husband to “remember the ladies” when codifying the law of the land. Women’s right to vote were shot down state-by-state, and in 1807, New Jersey became the last state to revoke the right.

The debate and unrest didn’t end. Women signed on to the abolitionist movement, fighting the fight not only for them, but also for slaves who were being denied rights. 1848 formally kicked off the women’s suffrage movement in Seneca Falls, NY. Not without heated debate, a resolution was agreed upon that women should be allowed to vote. As time went on, women showed up at polls. Some protested. Others filled out ballots only to have them rejected. In the late 1800’s the 14th and 15th Amendments passed and were ratified defining citizens as males and giving rights to black males, women excluded on both counts.

Though some states were allowing a very limited participation in local elections, 1869 became a revolutionary year when the Wyoming Territory became the first state since New Jersey’s prohibition to allow women full voting rights. A year later, Utah signed on, though nine years later the right was revoked and then re-instituted in 1895. Three years after Wyoming’s statehood, the men of Colorado voted for women to have the right to vote. Three years after that, Idaho granted suffrage to women.

The early 1900’s were roaring with suffrage history. Beginning in 1910, nine more states added granted full suffrage, while six additional states granted limited suffrage. Marches and parades were held. Speeches were given. Women were jailed. Presidential candidates and Presidents themselves were certainly getting the message. In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt made women’s suffrage part of his Progressive Party platform. Six years later, President Woodrow Wilson declared his support for women’s suffrage. In that same year, the US House passed, with the precise number of votes needed, an amendment that would allow suffrage. The vote failed by two in the Senate.

The effort did not die with the Senate vote. In January of 1919, a “Watchfire for Freedom” was lit and maintained until both House and Senate passed the amendment. In May, the House managed to pass the amendment once more and two weeks later, the Senate followed suit. Over the course of a little over a year the battle to get 36 states to ratify the amendment ensued. Mid-August of 1920, Tennessee became the finalizing 36th state and a week later, Aug. 26, 1920, the Susan B. Anthony Amendment became law.

While there are certainly many details of the women’s suffrage movement that have not been covered (names, places, and events) hopefully as we move into the 2008 election season, you’ll have a deeper appreciation for your right to be an informed voter.

Tech Tags: women’s suffrage, 19th Amendment, Susan B. Anthony Amendment, voting rights

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