Editor’s note: This commentary is by Sue Racanelli of East Montpelier, the director of the Vermont Suffrage Centennial Alliance and president of the League of Women Voters of Vermont.
I have the privilege of leading the Vermont Suffrage Centennial Alliance (VSCA), a volunteer coalition working to commemorate this year’s 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified Aug. 18, 1920. This amendment prohibits the federal government and any state from denying citizens the right to vote on account of sex.
Organized under the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Vermont Education Fund, VSCA members, offering time, energy and expertise, are an enthusiastic mix of individuals and organizations with diverse missions. We’re sponsoring a variety of events around the state throughout 2020, and our goal is to acquaint Vermonters with suffrage history and engage them in the ongoing quest for equal rights and citizenship.
Three generations of suffragists, at great personal cost, devoted 72 years to this quest. Along the way they endured ridicule, heckling, imprisonment, beatings, and more. In spite of setbacks and disappointment, they persisted — organizing, picketing, marching, and speaking out — until the suffrage amendment became the law of the land, putting in place the foundation upon which later voting rights triumphs were built.
While honoring the heroism and sacrifice of these women, we are mindful of the injustices done to African American suffragists and other women of color active in the movement. Renowned movement leaders, in their struggle for the vote, used racist rhetoric and exclusionary strategies to advance ratification of the 19th Amendment, disregarding the contributions and sacrifices of African American women and their equal claim to the right to vote. It was not until 45 years later, with enactment of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, that women (and men) of color obtained full suffrage rights.
Vermont is a national leader in promoting voter rights, including automatic voter registration, early voting, and election-day registration. Citizens can register to vote any day of the year including on Election Day, using either the paper application or by going to the secretary of state’s website. Voters with disabilities can use the OmniBallot Tablet Accessible Voting System at the polls or access it online to complete, print, and return their ballots in the mail or in person. Plus, Vermont is one of two states where inmates may vote via absentee ballot. These policies and practices make a difference. In 2018, Vermont ranked 11th among the 50 states in total voter turnout, with 56% voting compared to the national rate of 50%.
Citizens in many other states do not enjoy comparable access to the ballot box. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court scaled back the Voting Rights Act, ruling certain sections unconstitutional. As a result, many states have enacted policies and procedures that infringe on voting rights, with disproportionate impact on persons of color, those who are older, of low income, and those with disabilities. The battle for suffrage is not done.
To inspire citizens to value and exercise their hard won right to vote, VSCA created an online pledge so Vermonters can actively support the right of all American citizens to vote and champion the many ways that Vermont makes voting easy and accessible. Pledging involves making a commitment to:
▪ Register to vote
▪ Be informed about the issues
▪ Vote in local, state, and national primary and general elections
As suffragist leader Carrie Chapman Catt said, “The vote has been costly. Prize it.”
I invite Vermonters to our website, vtsuffrage2020.org to learn more about suffrage, to Take The Pledge — and to Vote!
