100 years of women’s suffrage empowers today’s voters
Graphic by Trisha Atluri 100 years ago, the 19th Amendment was ratified in the United States, giving women the right to vote. Today, Coppell High School seniors who are planning on voting in the presidential election share what it feels like to have a secure right to vote, which they would not have had a century ago.
August 19, 2020
Throughout the last 50 years, the number of voting women has steadily increased. Women were guaranteed the right to vote in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
For centuries, Americans fought for women’s suffrage through heartfelt marches, speeches and petitions. On Aug. 18, 1920 the 19th Amendment was passed after Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, empowering American women with the right to vote.
On Tuesday, the 100 year anniversary was celebrated.
“The significance of this amendment is evident in every election held in this nation,” Coppell High School AP United States history teacher Kevin Casey said. “52% of the registered voters in the United States are women. More importantly, it means that American women have a voice in elections and law-making rather than being subjected to laws passed by men until 1920.”
CHS seniors who are at least 17 and 10 months old and 18 on election day can register to vote.
“I’ve been anticipating [voting] for a long time,” CHS senior Swetha Tandri said. “When I vote, I will have a voice in policies and that affects everyone in their day to day lives. I [will] have a say in how things should run and how things could affect people in my community.”
Tracy Fisher, an elected Coppell ISD board trustee, emphasizes the importance of elections in the community.
“It is important to vote and do your research or at least reach out to like-minded individuals for their research and knowledge,” Fisher said. “Voting is particularly important the closer the elected officials are to your grocery store, in local, county and state elections. In presidential election years, I worry that those perceived lesser elections are not researched and can be ticked off without thought or simply left blank.”
The U.S. 2020 General Election is Nov. 3. Students who qualify will be able to vote in the next presidential election.
“Election Day is exciting,” Casey said. “Students who are new voters will often want to talk about the experience. Some of them will come by my classroom to tell me about their experience in the voting booth. Election Day is a great day to make your voice and your vote count.”
The current voting population is more diverse than ever, and more women vote than men today.
“The whole idea of voting is empowering,” Tandri said. “That you have a say in what happens. After full centuries of [women] not being to exercise much political opinion, [we’re] really stepping up and taking ownership of the role because it is important to do justice to what the last centuries fought for.”
Follow Victoria (@veh37936) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.
