Courtesy Library of Congress. Harris & Ewing Collection
Beginning in mid-1800s, women and men came together to advocate for women’s rights. Some fought for the government to grant women rights. Some argued that they already had the same rights as men, but that they were being prevented from enjoying those rights by unjust laws. The fight for women’s rights unfolded at all levels of government.
One of these issues was voting (or suffrage) rights. Some women wanted the federal government to recognize their right to vote by passing a constitutional amendment. After years of fighting and lobbying, the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed in 1920. It declared that:
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
Other women felt they should focus on getting their state or territory to recognize their right to vote. Several states and territories recognized women's suffrage rights before 1920, including Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, California, Oregon, Montana, Arizona, Kansas, Alaska, Illinois, North Dakota, Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan, Arkansas, New York, South Dakota, and Oklahoma.
Learn more about the US states and territories and their role in ratifying the 19th Amendment. Did your state vote to ratify the amendment? Find out!
The Race to Ratification
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June 10, 1919Wisconsin and the 19th AmendmentWisconsin was the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment on June 10, 1919.
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June 10, 1919Illinois and the 19th AmendmentIllinois was one of the first states to ratify the 19th Amendment on June 10, 1919.
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June 10, 1919Michigan and the 19th AmendmentMichigan became one of the first states to ratify the 19th Amendment on June 10, 1919.
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June 16, 1919Kansas and the 19th AmendmentKansas ratified the 19th Amendment on June 16, 1919.
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June 16, 1919New York and the 19th AmendmentNew York ratified the 19th Amendment on June 16, 1919.
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June 16, 1919Ohio and the 19th AmendmentOhio ratified the 19th Amendment on June 16, 1919.
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June 24, 1919Pennsylvania and the 19th AmendmentPennsylvania ratified the 19th Amendment on June 24, 1919.
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June 25, 1919Massachusetts and the 19th AmendmentMassachusetts ratified the 19th Amendment on June 25, 1919.
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June 28, 1919Texas and the 19th AmendmentTexas ratified the 19th Amendment on June 28, 1919.
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July 2, 1919Iowa and the 19th AmendmentIowa ratified the 19th Amendment on July 2, 1919.
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July 3, 1919Missouri and the 19th AmendmentMissouri ratified the 19th Amendment on July 3, 1919.
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July 29, 1919Arkansas and the 19th AmendmentArkansas ratified the 19th Amendment on July 29, 1919.
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August 2, 1919Montana and the 19th AmendmentMontana ratified the 19th Amendment on August 2, 1919.
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August 2, 1919Nebraska and the 19th AmendmentNebraska ratified the 19th Amendment on August 2, 1919.
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September 8, 1919Minnesota and the 19th AmendmentMinnesota ratified the 19th Amendment on September 8, 1919.
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September 10, 1919New Hampshire and the 19th AmendmentNew Hampshire ratified the 19th Amendment on September 10, 1919.
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September 30, 1919Utah and the 19th AmendmentUtah ratified the 19th Amendment on September 30, 1919.
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November 1, 1919California and the 19th AmendmentCalifornia ratified the 19th Amendment on November 1, 1919
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November 5, 1919Maine and the 19th AmendmentMaine ratified the 19th Amendment on November 5, 1919.
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December 1, 1919North Dakota and the 19th AmendmentNorth Dakota ratified the 19th Amendment on December 1, 1919.
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December 4, 1919South Dakota and the 19th AmendmentSouth Dakota ratified the 19th Amendment on December 4, 1919.
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December 15, 1919Colorado and the 19th AmendmentColorado ratified the 19th Amendment on December 15, 1919.
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January 6, 1920Kentucky and the 19th AmendmentKentucky ratified the 19th Amendment on January 6, 1920.
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January 6, 1920Rhode Island and the 19th AmendmentRhode Island ratified the 19th Amendment on January 6, 1920.
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January 13, 1920Oregon and the 19th AmendmentOregon ratified the 19th Amendment on January 13, 1920.
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January 16, 1920Indiana and the 19th AmendmentIndiana ratified the 19th Amendment on January 16, 1920.
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January 27, 1920Wyoming and the 19th AmendmentWyoming ratified the 19th Amendment on January 27, 1920.
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February 7, 1920Nevada and the 19th AmendmentNevada ratified the 19th Amendment on February 7, 1920.
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February 9, 1920New Jersey and the 19th AmendmentNew Jersey ratified the 19th Amendment on February 9, 1920.
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February 11, 1920Idaho and the 19th AmendmentIdaho ratified the 19th Amendment on February 11, 1920.
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February 12, 1920Arizona and the 19th AmendmentArizona ratified the 19th Amendment on February 12, 1920.
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February 21, 1920New Mexico and the 19th AmendmentNew Mexico ratified the 19th Amendment on February 21, 1920.
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February 28, 1920Oklahoma and the 19th AmendmentOklahoma ratified the 19th Amendment on February 28, 1920.
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March 10, 1920West Virginia and the 19th AmendmentWest Virginia ratified the 19th Amendment on March 10, 1920.
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March 22, 1920Washington and the 19th AmendmentWashington ratified the 19th Amendment on March 22, 1920.
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August 18, 1920Tennessee and the 19th AmendmentTennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920, making women's suffrage legal in the US.
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Later ratified September 14, 1920Connecticut and the 19th AmendmentConnecticut belatedly ratified the 19th Amendment on September 14, 1920.
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Later ratified February 8, 1921Vermont and the 19th AmendmentVermont belatedly ratified the 19th Amendment on February 8, 1921.
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Later ratified March 6, 1923Delaware and the 19th AmendmentDelaware originally rejected the 19th Amendment on June 2, 1920. The state belatedly ratified the amendment on March 6, 1923.
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Later ratified March 29, 1941Maryland and the 19th AmendmentMaryland originally rejected the 19th Amendment on February 24, 1920. The state belatedly ratified the amendment on March 29, 1941.
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Later ratified February 12, 1952Virginia and the 19th AmendmentVirginia originally rejected the 19th Amendment on February 12, 1920. The state belatedly ratified the amendment on February 12, 1952.
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Later ratified September 8, 1953Alabama and the 19th AmendmentAlabama originally rejected the 19th Amendment on September 22, 1919. The state belatedly ratified the amendment on September 8, 1953.
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Later ratified May 13, 1969Florida and the 19th AmendmentFlorida belatedly ratified the 19th Amendment on May 13, 1969.
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Later ratified July 1, 1969South Carolina and the 19th AmendmentSouth Carolina originally rejected the 19th Amendment on January 28, 1920. The state belatedly ratified the amendment on July 1, 1969.
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Later ratified February 20, 1970Georgia and the 19th AmendmentGeorgia originally rejected the 19th Amendment on July 24, 1919. The state belatedly ratified the amendment on February 20, 1970.
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Later ratified June 11, 1970Louisiana and the 19th AmendmentLouisiana rejected the 19th Amendment on July 1, 1920. The state belatedly ratified the amendment on June 11, 1970.
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Later ratified May 6, 1971North Carolina and the 19th AmendmentNorth Carolina belatedly ratified the 19th Amendment on May 6, 1971.
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Later ratified March 22, 1984Mississippi and the 19th AmendmentMississippi rejected the 19th Amendment on March 29, 1920. The state belatedly ratified the amendment on March 22, 1984.
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Honorary SupporterAlaska and the 19th AmendmentWhen the 19th Amendment was ratified, Alaska was not yet a state. But (white) women in Alaska were granted suffrage rights in 1913.
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Honorary SupporterHawai'i and the 19th AmendmentWhen the 19th Amendment was ratified, Hawai'i was not yet a state, yet Hawaiian women were also granted suffrage rights.
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DC and the 19th AmendmentThe District of Columbia is a federal district, not a state. Up until 1961, residents of DC could not vote in presidential elections.
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American Samoa and the 19th AmendmentWomen in American Samoa, a territory of the US, were not able to vote even after the passage of the 19th Amendment.
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Guam and the 19th AmendmentWomen in Guam did not have voting rights after the passage of the 19th Amendment because they were not US citizens.
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Northern Mariana IslandsThe Northern Mariana Islands became a territory of the United States in 1947 and was not able to vote on the 19th Amendment.
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The Philippines and the 19th AmendmentIn 1898, the Philippines became a territory of the United States. As a territory and not a state, they did not vote re: the 19th Amendment.
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Puerto Rico and the 19th AmendmentIn 1929, in response to pressure from the United States Congress, the Puerto Rico legislature granted literate women the right to vote.
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US Virgin Islands and the 19th AmendmentPeople living in the US Virgin Islands are considered United States citizens, but are ineligible to vote for US President.
Last updated: July 22, 2020