Today is the 86th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution – in other words, today marks the 86th year since women got the right to vote.
The right of citizens in the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
It’s an amazing thing to think about, isn’t it? The idea that this country used to keep a full half (more than half, actually) from voting? To allow them no say whatsoever in the laws that shaped our lives?
I’ve often thought that women who live in this country who don’t vote should have to trade places with women who would love to – and who can’t. In too many countries, that is still the case, but we take it for granted here.
My thanks to all the women who sacrificed so much to earn us this right, and to all the women who vote, who work in politics, and who raise daughters who vote. Some of those women are being celebrated at NYU today, if you can make it.