On August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was officially adopted prohibiting states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. 

Finally, the women’s suffrage movement that had begun decades earlier claimed victory. Since the early 1900s, women’s influence in politics has grown steadily. Today 127 women hold seats in Congress, about 24% of the 545 members.

Many people today cannot imagine not having the right to vote in federal, state, county and city elections. In former days, women were also denied higher education, property ownership, and child custody. 

We can thank suffrage leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony for not only paving the way for voting rights, but also for bringing attention to women’s rights in general.

With elections coming up this November, will women exercise their right to vote? It is sad that there has been such low voter turnout in recent elections. Do we blame disillusionment in the system? Do we think our vote will not count? Is it too much trouble to read up on the issues to vote intelligently? 

It would be a shame not to exercise the hard-won right to voice our political opinion. Even in this day and age, voting is something we all can do to influence the way our country goes.