FARGO, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – In 1973, the U.S. Congress designated August 26 as “Women’s Equality Day,” a day selected to commemorate the date in 1920 when the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the amendment granting women the right to vote, was signed into law.

Ratification of the 19th Amendment was the culmination of decades of lobbying, marches, lectures, and other activities by women’s suffrage supporters. With passage of the Amendment, women began turning out to vote in large numbers, ran for public office, increased their participation in political parties, and used their collective power to lobby for legislation on a variety of social issues.

Not all women, however, benefited from the 19th Amendment. Many states continued to use literacy tests, poll taxes, residency requirements, intimidation, and violence to prevent Black, Latina, Indigenous, and Asian American women (and men) from voting. It wasn’t until the Civil Rights Movement forced the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and subsequent expansions of that Act, that racial and language discrimination in voting was legally banned nationwide.

Unfortunately, 105 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, the right to vote and access to the polls is currently under threat due to bills that create barriers to voting being introduced and passed in state legislatures across the country.

In recognition of Women’s Equality Day, the League of Women Voters of North Dakota acknowledges the immeasurable and invaluable contributions made by women for more than a century to ensure the right to vote. The League will continue its work of protecting the right to vote, building grassroots power in our communities, and ensuring everyone is represented in our democracy. We invite all who are interested to join us.

Barbara Headrick, president of the League of Women Voters of North Dakota