On August 26, 1920, U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the Nineteenth Amendment, making it part of the U.S. Constitution. The amendment had been passed by Congress in 1919 and ratified by three-quarters (36) of the states, with Tennessee being the last on August 18, 1920. Finally, with Colby’s signature, women in the U.S. had the right to vote!

 

While we know that the passage of the 19th Amendment did not establish equal voting rights for all women, it was the culmination of a 72-year struggle to obtain this initial right to vote. The passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (60 years ago, on August 6) finally provided greater protections for historically excluded groups in the United States, such as Black and Hispanic voters.

 

In 1971, fifty years after women won the right to vote, New York Representative Bella Abzug introduced a resolution to proclaim August 26 as Women's Equality Day. However, as with most matters related to women's rights, it wasn't until two years later that Congress passed the resolution declaring August 26 as Women's Equality Day.

 

Representative Abzug's initiative for this day focused not only on the right to vote, but also on continuing the fight for women's equality in general. A fight that women must continue even today, more than 50 years later, as we watch their rights erode with every law or court decision.

 

Voting is a cornerstone of democracy. It's a way to express your opinion to our elected officials at all levels of government. The 2026 elections may seem far away, but it's never too early to encourage people to register to vote, update their voter registration, and request their mail-in ballot.

 

Voter turnout in the 2022 midterm elections in Broward County was just 47.97%. Why do we care less about who is the governor of Florida than who is the president of the United States? And what about the other elected officials in these midterm elections: the entire U.S. House of Representatives and one senator, plus the entire Florida House of Representatives and half the Florida Senate? Get ready to vote!