Celebrate 19th Amendment anniversary

The Women’s Equality Coalition, along with partners, The League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women will be joining together on August 26th to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.

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

In 1920, 35 - 40% of women voted in the presidential election between Warren Harding and James Cox. Although women could legally vote in 1920, it was not made easy. This percentage may seem small after all the suffrage years working towards the right to vote. Barriers were everywhere to prevent women from voting in 1920. State governments conspired to block or slow down the mobilization of women's opportunities to vote. While registrations to vote were very limited, some states, like Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina chose not to allow women to register, stating the time between the ratification of the 19th amendment and the presidential election was too short. The state of Virginia made it nearly impossible for black women to vote, issuing a poll tax, and Connecticut and Massachusetts requested a literacy test before allowing registration.

As we look towards the next presidential election our coalition continues to work hard to provide all women the opportunity to vote. Women still face systematic barriers, lack of accessibility to registration centers and the need for adjusted hours for working women, transportation to register and to vote, childcare, getting time off from work, voter identification laws, transgender voters have issues with correct identification, harassment and discrimination at polling sites.

Proposed legislation, such as the SAVE Act in 2025, threatens to further exacerbate this issue by requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration, which could disenfranchise millions of women who may not possess a birth certificate reflecting their current legal name.

For all of the voters that may have questions about the inequalities they are facing today we invite them to attend our panelist lead discussion on August 26th. We have invited David Maier, Cedar Rapids City Council, State Senator Molly Donahue, Anthony Arrington, Advocates of Social Justice, Anne Harris Carter, Linn County Public Health and Linda Topinka, Mental Health Therapist to share their thoughts and knowledge on inequalities here in Cedar Rapids. Our event takes place at Christ Episcopal Church (220 40th St NE) and starts with a meet and greet at 5:30. The event is free.

Lu Wherry is the president of the Women’s Equality Coalition of Linn County.