Suffragist Movement

Votes for Women: Who Could and Couldn’t in Your Family History

It was November 2, 1920. Republican Senator Warren G. Harding, Democratic Governor James M. Cox, and Socialist Eugene V. Debs were on the ballot. And many women in America—maybe even your great-grandmother—were voting in a national election for the very first time.

WWI had ended. And so had a major battle for women’s suffrage that stretched for more than 72 years. While not all women could exercise their right—women of color were still fighting inequality—understanding the impact this important milestone had on your family can bring personal meaning and context to the milestone moment.

To determine which women in your tree had the right to vote in 1920—and who missed out—here are some factors to consider:

Was she 21 in 1920?
Was she a citizen, either native-born or by her or her husband’s naturalization? (Note: Between 1907 and 1922, a woman could lose her citizenship if she married an un-naturalized immigrant, even if she was born in the U.S. or had been naturalized as a minor via her father’s citizenship.)
Native American women were disenfranchised until the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act, but even then some states barred them.
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 began excluding Chinese immigrants (and eventually other Asian groups) as well as those already here from U.S. citizenship, keeping most Asian-born women from the vote until its repeal in 1943.
African American women (and men) also met challenges at the polls. With the end of Reconstruction, Southern states began using intimidation, literacy tests, and poll taxes to disenfranchise many black voters until the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Some western states began granting full suffrage to women prior to 1920. In addition, states and localities throughout the country offered partial suffrage to women especially in municipal and school committee elections.