24 minute read
Votes for Women
“There will never be a new world order until women are a part of it,” said Alice Paul, suffragist, women’s rights activist and author of the original Equal Rights Amendment. Paul devoted her life to advocating for women’s suffrage and equal rights for women. She was the main architect behind the 1910s campaign to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which decreed that no citizen could be denied the right to vote based on sex. When it became law on Aug. 26, 1920, some 27 million women became eligible to vote, the largest increase in potential voters in American history. However, this tremendous victory was incomplete. Because of restrictive state and federal laws including poll taxes, literacy tests and ethnic barriers to citizenship, many nonwhite women including African Americans, Native Americans, Latinas and Asian Americans, still could not cast a ballot.
We have come a long way in 100 years and have a long way to go still. Today, it is more important than ever that women exercise their hardearned right to vote. New challenges lead to disenfranchisement and even those who have the right to vote are often prevented from exercising it. In celebration of the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment in 2020, CSG asked some of its female members to reflect on this legislation and the doors that it opened — or didn’t open — for their current careers. As we celebrate the anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, these glass-ceiling-shattering members remember all those who cannot vote in addition to those who can.
PARK CANNON
State Representative | Georgia
In 2008, during the first election that I wanted to vote in, I had to be creative because of my age. At 17 years old, I was a young and publicly politicized African-American woman, but I needed to be 18 to cast a ballot. I created a dance piece entitled “Yes We Can,” and performed it in front of my school. This motivated students, faculty and families to stand in line for hours and encouraged me to vote as soon as I enrolled in college. Luckily, the Southern university at which I was an undergraduate student had same-day voter registration and the permissibility of college identification for voting. It was a learning experience for me to realize that North Carolina voting laws differed from Georgia voting laws and motivated me to become more politically engaged in my home state. When I graduated college, I ran for office in Georgia and marched to cast my ballot beside the late Congressman John Lewis. I became the first openly queer legislator in the U.S., and to date, I am the youngest female elected official in the state of Georgia.
DEBBIE ARMSTRONG
State Representative | New Mexico
Fifty years ago, I voted in my first election. The Vietnam War was raging. Women were fighting for equality. Civil Rights victories had been won, but there was more to do. I couldn’t wait to cast my ballot. I knew that my vote mattered. And I knew that my grandmothers hadn’t been able to vote for most of their lives — and that Black women, Indigenous women and women of color faced (and face today) barriers to voting.
My candidates didn’t win every race that year, and we didn’t make all the changes that I’d hoped for. But our voices were heard.
The same was true with women’s suffrage. The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, but it didn’t change everything. For decades, Black and Brown women faced poll taxes and other barriers to the ballot box; Indigenous women didn’t get the right to vote in every state until 1962.
One hundred years later, we continue the fight to ensure all women — not just affluent white women — can vote. Voter ID laws, voter-roll purges and limited access to online voter registration continue to disproportionately disenfranchise Black, Brown, Indigenous and poor women.
Today, I serve in the New Mexico Legislature. I have three grown children and a granddaughter. A lot has changed since I cast my first ballot. But still every time that my mother, my daughters and I cast our ballots we vote to ensure it doesn’t take another 100 years for all voices to be heard.
HOLLI SULLIVAN
State Representative | Indiana
Women were barred from making their voices heard when choosing local, state and national leaders until the 19th Amendment was ratified nearly 100 years ago, securing women’s right to vote.
This historic anniversary is a great opportunity to reflect on the legacy of the suffrage movement and renew advocacy efforts for more equal representation in our government and society.
As we honor those who came before us, we must remember that those who fought for this right never cast a ballot of their own or held an elected office. The dedicated women who worked tirelessly for our right to vote entrusted us with great responsibility — to speak up, lead and participate.
As we celebrate and honor the women’s suffrage movement during its centennial anniversary, we should also reflect on the progress women have made in the workforce, earning positions of power and breaking down gender barriers. Work still remains. As a public servant, an engineer, a business owner and president of the POWER Caucus, a group dedicated to empowering women, I remain committed to supporting others and helping to raise our collective voices.
History shows the best way to tackle problems is by working together. When women come together, we can meet any challenge and have a positive impact on our state, country and world.
LAURA FINE
Senator, Majority Caucus Whip | Illinois
Growing up, I was very close to my grandmother. Nana Betty was an example of, “never judge a book by its cover.” A sweet, kind woman, she was also fierce and driven by her convictions. Born in Chicago in 1911 to Russian immigrants, Nana experienced many struggles. These challenges molded her, but never defeated her. Betty lost her father as a teenager, worked to help support her family, married my grandfather and then lost everything in the Great Depression. Through it all, Nana set an example for future generations of women in our family.
She lived in a time when women were the backbone of family and community but didn’t have a voice. Nana remembered the struggle of women fighting for the right to vote and instilled its importance on others. As a result, in her 96 years, she never missed an election. She would vote with pride, knowing she was shaping the future with her ballot. Her persistence paved the way for upcoming generations of women in our family. She watched her daughter graduate college, get married, become a teacher, put her husband through law school only to be forced to leave her job when she became pregnant with my sister. Nana’s drive lived on through my mother. She taught her daughters what she learned from her mom: be kind, treat everyone with dignity and respect, be fierce, stand up for your beliefs and vote — it is your voice and responsibility to past and future generations.
CATHY GIESSEL
Senate President | Alaska
As leaders are chosen this November, women’s voices must be heard.
Leadership requires humility. That means listening to others, not just to one’s self or one’s friends. It requires the courage to accept criticism, even when harsh, cutting and vulgar. And while accepting that criticism, leaders must keep their eyes on the goal of the best outcome for the people.
Being a leader means having to make decisions that make your chest hurt and stomach churn. You know you could be making a mistake, but you’ve invested in the work of listening to all sides. This kind of leadership is what women are equipped to recognize in others and to offer themselves. The issues that women care about are the same issues that create social stability: solid educational opportunities, access to good health care and a spectrum of meaningful work.
Voting in elections, a right that was hard-fought by those who came before us, gives women the opportunity to have a hand in history. We write the future for our families, friends and communities when we vote.
Women, more than 100 years ago, understood the impact of women’s voices and leadership. They had the courage to take those steps that drew harsh, cutting and vulgar criticism. Their decisions made their chests hurt and their stomachs churn. And they did the right thing, for the right reasons, for you and me today.
Women, vote like your future depends on it. It does.
JOAN B. LOVELY
State Representative | Massachusetts
The passage of the 19th Amendment flung open the doors to greater political participation for women, but it was not the beginning, and is not the end, to the fight for political equality.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a strong tradition of female politicians. As early as 1868, women in the commonwealth won election to local school committees — more than 10 years before they earned the right to vote for those school committees in 1879 and more than 40 years before the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
In the last 100 years, we have seen a greater shift in not only legislators in our state houses and on Capitol Hill, but a shift in our legislative priorities as well. In Massachusetts, I was proud to champion the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which became law in 2017. Since then, we have passed paid family medical leave and a sweeping pay equity bill. And in 2018, I had the pleasure of witnessing the first ever transfer of the presidency of the Massachusetts State Senate from one woman to another.
When women step up and lead, when they take their seat at the table, the laws passed are those that seek to benefit all. As far as we’ve come, there is still much more work to do. We must continue to ensure that our legislatures reflect our electorate, which means electing more women and more women and men of color. We also must seek to pass laws that are just and equitable for all. The 19th Amendment paved the road for women to vote, but we must now ensure that it is wide enough for equal access and participation for all.
DONNA BULLOCK
State Representative | Pennsylvania
Last year, Pennsylvania celebrated its 100th anniversary of its ratification of the women’s right to vote. The night before, at a rally on the Capitol steps, the nine Black women legislators texted each other: “Should we wear white? How do we share in a celebration of a victory that didn’t include us?”
As woman across our nation wear Suffrage White for the centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment, women of color once again find themselves caught in the cross streets of race and gender. Let’s be clear: white women gained the right to vote 100 years ago, Black women did not. They didn’t gain that right for another 50 years. Today, however, Black women are the most reliable voters in this country. We vote every time — in record numbers. Black women voters have carried elections and have championed policy. We have staffed political campaigns and civil rights movements. We are often seen as the moral conscience of our country. So, as we stand in solidarity and in spirit in our Suffrage White, let’s not forget the power of Black women voters. And as Black women ask legislators and public officials to make difficult decisions to move our country forward, to keep their children safe from gun violence and police brutality, and to address growing health and economic disparities, let’s stand with Black women.
BRIGID KELLY
State Representative | Ohio
ERIN T. HENNESSEY
State Representative | New Hampshire
In 2019, New Hampshire celebrated the 200th anniversary of its State House. Sitting in Representatives’ Hall during the celebration, I tried to imagine how the 400 representatives of 1819 would react to the New Hampshire House of 2019. Would those 400 men be surprised to see that female legislators now occupy one third of the seats? I’m sure.
Thanks to the hard work of the suffragists and their supporters, women in New Hampshire have had the right to vote and run for office since 1919. So, as a representative in 2020, I’m also surprised at the make-up of the New Hampshire House — I’m surprised women hold only one third of the seats.
NANCY TODD
Senate President Pro Tempore | Colorado
With the upcoming 2020 election, I note the importance of looking back to look forward. Acknowledging the historical relevance of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment for women’s right to vote is evidence of where we began. I’m proud that Colorado granted women the right to vote in 1893, but it was not inclusive for all women at that time. It took our nation until 1965 for all people to gain that same right to vote due to the sacrifice and determination of many. Informing ourselves with truth and facts is essential for all women as we cast our ballot in our individual states. I am proud to be an American, living in a country where there is choice, opportunity and protection by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to express my opinions. Additionally, I also urge all voters to read and listen to the views of all candidates and ballot measures to determine what is true, who is supportive and to resolve the answer to, “will it make us a stronger nation for all?”
Women make decisions every day for our families, our workplace and our communities. We have the responsibility to ask the tough questions and lead with our voices, our votes and with our service as volunteers or elected officials in the 2020 election. Women will continue to make the difference in the outcome for the future of our nation!
ELAINE BOWERS Senator, Majority Caucus Whip | Kansas
I was intrigued as a little girl in my small north central town of Delphos, Kansas, by a monument in the city square dedicated to Grace Bedell Billings, known to people in Kansas as “Lincoln’s Little Girl.” Grace Bedell was an 11-year-old girl who in October 1860 wrote to President Abraham Lincoln asking him to grow whiskers, “All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President,” she wrote.
She also commented she could get all four of her brothers to vote for him as well. Her life-size letter to him and his back to her are engraved in bronze on the monument in the city square, and I used to follow the cursive writing with my fingers when I visited. I am still amazed that she wrote to him — and amazed he wrote back — with her idea to convince men to vote for him by improving his appearance. A novel thought, but a sad one too, of women convincing men to vote because they could not. However, it was an important lesson to me as a representative for my part of the state — constituent service, regardless of level of government, is very important and has an impact if we take time to listen and respond as President Lincoln did. As women today, we do not need to convince men to vote on our behalf. We can do this ourselves with the 19th Amendment — women’s right to vote.
RENA MORAN
State Representative | Minnesota
The 19th Amendment opened doors for female participation in politics, and while we still have a long way to go, suffrage activists led the way for women to be seen and heard! The activism of women protesting at a time when it was unusual for women to even gather in public was a statement in itself.
The women’s suffrage movement created a process where African American women decided they too wanted their voices to be heard and in part created a greater emphasis on equal rights for all people including Native Americans, poor and working-class people and — most personally for me — African American women. Finally, women stood up and decided they were going to be heard in politics.
The movement for women’s suffrage was part of a larger movement for women’s rights in every area of life. And women’s rights, in turn, were part of a wider emphasis on equal rights for all people. Although the suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment initially discriminated against Black women and women of color, it attracted them to the movement.
After the 19th Amendment passed, Black women did vote and run for office in New York, as opposed to many states that passed state and local laws disenfranchising them. Today, I am a product of the women’s suffrage movement that led the way for Black women to be heard and seen. So, women today continue to run, vote and today are leading the way on women’s and family issues across American — our way.
KITTY TOLL
State Representative | Vermont
The wise words of Victoria Woodhull, who in 1872 became the first female presidential candidate, encouraged women to put words into motion, ultimately cracking open the door for female participation in politics. These pioneers would become the impetus for moving a new and sometimes uncomfortable political agenda. However, it took 48 more years of continued toil before trailblazers like Woodhull would see the ratification of the 19th Amendment, in 1920, finally guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote.
It was the actions of brave women like Woodhull who fought tirelessly until this new collection of voices was allowed to be present at the table and to be heard. A path was forged, groundwork laid, and a foundation was built to help navigate the turbulent waters that has led to the rights and freedoms we enjoy today. It was the strong convictions of all the Victoria Woodhulls that have inspired women, like me, to find our power and to use our strengths to not only become voters, but to become effective elected officials who continue to fight for equality. As we celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment, we acknowledge the great strides made by women, but our work to ensure empowerment and equality for all women is far from over.
MIA GREGERSON
State Representative | Washington
My first memory of casting a ballot stands out because it was a vote to save our baseball team. Go Mariners! I’m a firm believer that we turn out to vote when we feel passionate about the people on the ballot or when the issues we care about are at stake. This November is a critical moment for American history where we are all reckoning with the restrictions of voting during a global pandemic and multiple attacks on democracy from every angle. We need every woman to feel like she can safely vote and that her vote will be counted. When women vote or run for office, we are honoring and standing on the shoulders of those who fought for us. They knew that we needed to be at the table making decisions when we had been intentionally left out, and they knew that we would push and hold open the door for the most vulnerable.
DENISE TEPLER
State Representative | Maine
Women must vote so women’s concerns will be heard. When I was first elected to the Maine Legislature in 2014 and appointed to the Taxation Committee, I was often the only woman in the committee room other than staff. Thirteen male legislators and me discussing tax policy. One other woman had been appointed to the committee but due to other commitments, she rarely attended.
That year there was a push by an outside organization to get constituents to write to Maine legislators about the unfair imposition of the sales tax on menstrual products in Maine. Some discussion ensued in the committee about the large number of emails being received. I proposed we respond to our constituents’ concerns and work on a committee bill to exempt menstrual products from the sales tax. Other members agreed that that might be a good idea, and I began to look into it. Shockingly, it became clear that this would cost the state around $1.5 million each year — that much tax was (and still is) being paid on an absolute necessity. When it came to a vote on creating such a committee bill, however, 12 men voted against it.
Maine is a state that has been successful at electing women legislators, and they have served in leadership positions, but that is only in very recent times. It took 99 years for Maine to elect a female governor. A look at the photos in the back of the Maine House Chamber, which show about 50 years of Maine legislative membership, makes clear that women were a rare commodity in the House until after the 20th century. Much of our tax policy was created before the time when women’s voices were consistently heard in these discussions. When women vote, when women participate, when women are elected, a perspective that was left out for the first 150 years of the Republic makes gains.
REGINA ASHFORD BARROW
Senator | Louisiana
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to American citizens on the basis of sex. Many people do not even realize that, in the past, voting had been a state right. Numerous state legislatures implemented literacy tests, which were tailored to exclude Black people and other minorities from being eligible to vote. The 19th Amendment was a win for women, but not all women. Jim Crow kept Black women from exercising their voting rights for many years. Voting in November is imperative for all Americans, particularly women of color.
I first voted in 1984 when I turned 18. As women in America, it is our fundamental right to vote. Voting is the most effective way to say, “My life matters.” Women are heads of households and serve as decision makers in many American families. When one votes to support a candidate or a tax or the amending of the Constitution, she is directly influencing the systems that support the community that she and her family live in.
For nearly a decade, I have served as a state legislator in Louisiana. I consider it an honor to receive the vote of confidence from the residents of District 15. Voting is essential to securing social advancements for the next generation of women. Voting is one of the most powerful rights that a citizen has, and voter participation is crucial for an effective, truly representative government. I believe we are at a pivotal point in history that will change the trajectory of this country for the next 50 to 100 years. It is extremely important that women vote this year because many of the issues facing our country will have a direct impact on women and children. Getting women out to vote is essential to securing a better tomorrow for the next generation.
RHONDA BAKER
State Representative | Oklahoma
The first presidential election I had the privilege of voting in was in 1988. George H.W. Bush was the Republican nominee who had served as vice president under President Ronald Reagan. I greatly admired the Reagan administration, and the accomplishments of President Reagan and Vice President Bush led me to register as a Republican. I proudly cast my ballot for George Bush because I wanted continuity with the success we had achieved as a country. I also appreciated his military service and support of education, especially since I aspired to become an educator myself, just like so many in my family before me.
It’s interesting to realize that one small act of voting can change a country’s trajectory and shape history forever. Women have the power to do this every election cycle. It’s so important that women make their voices heard in all elections — from school board and city council to presidential elections. They all influence the world we live in every day.
The ratification of the 19th Amendment was a turning point in this country. It allowed women to be accepted into societal roles that differed from the standard domestic traditions of past generations. We must empower women around us to continue to use their voices in a positive and strong way to emphasize, as proof, the valuable contributions that we bring to society each and every day.
PATSY HAZELWOOD
State Representative | Tennessee
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in our nation. It was the culmination of a hard-fought battle for votes for women by women and men that, I’m proud to say, came to fruition when my own state of Tennessee passed the 19th Amendment on Aug. 18, 2020. Winning the vote — and make no mistake, it was won and not given — was in many ways just the beginning of a journey we are still on to have women be fully involved in the political process.
Even before securing the vote, women had long participated, albeit in the background, in politics and campaigns. Even today, women are often the mainstay, the worker bees, in campaigns at all levels. Though we are a long way from gender equality in political offices, as I look around my community, my state and this country, I see more and more women who are willingly stepping up to run for office themselves, and they are not running on homogenous gender platforms, but are representing all parties and many varying viewpoints. Women are not running because they are women, but because they have ideas and experiences that they, and many voters, believe to be both credible and viable for shaping our political future.
All of us stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before. Whether exercising our right to vote or running for office, we are walking through the door that was opened by those courageous women and men who fought long and hard to secure the vote for women.
BRANDY PYLE
State Representative | North Dakota
It’s important for women to vote in the 2020 election as women are an important voice in our country. In 2019, the U.S. population was 328.24 million, with women making up 164.12 million of that entire population — a little over 50%. This is a powerful voice to make an impact on all levels of our political system when we make the choice to participate! Participation in the democratic process of electing our leaders is an amazing gift and one of our rights as Americans.
As women leaders, we have the opportunity to teach our children why it is important to voice our opinions, to cast our vote for leaders, to stand for our values, to treat all with respect and to live life with integrity. Continue to not only ask why, but why not?
