Senator Mark Kelly Reflects on 105 Years of Women's Right to Vote

As Americans marked the 105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment on August 18, Senator Mark Kelly reflected on the milestone and its relevance today. The Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted women the constitutional right to vote.

"It's been 105 years since America finally gave women the constitutional right to vote," Mark Kelly stated. "That only happened because of a lot of brave, patriotic Americans. We have to carry on that legacy as we keep fighting to defend the right to vote."

The Path to the 19th Amendment

The road to women's suffrage was long and difficult. The amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1878, but it took 42 years to become law. During that time, women used various strategies to advance their committment.

Some focused on passing suffrage laws state by state; nine western states had adopted women's suffrage by 1912. Others challenged voting restrictions in court. More confrontational activists held protests and went on hunger strikes when imprisoned. They often faced harassment, jail time, and sometimes physical violence.

By 1916, most suffrage organizations united behind pursuing a constitutional amendment. Key turning points came when New York adopted women's suffrage in 1917 and President Wilson endorsed a federal amendment in 1918. The House passed the amendment on May 21, 1919, with the Senate following two weeks later.

Tennessee became the crucial 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920, meeting the three-fourths requirement. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified it on August 26, 1920.

Beyond 1920

Kelly's emphasis on continued struggle reflects the reality that ratification didn't immediately grant all women voting access. Discriminatory state laws prevented many African American women and other minority women from voting for decades after 1920.

The senator's comments apply this historical background to the ongoing discussions about election access and voting rights. The freedom to vote and the example of persistent citizen action that builds communities are the two most important legacies of the suffragettes, according to Kelly.