Women's suffrage was established in the United States on a full or partial basis by various towns, counties, states, and territories during the latter decades of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century. As women received the right to vote in some places, they began running for public office and gaining positions as school board members, county clerks, state legislators, judges, and, in the case of Jeannette Rankin, as a member of Congress.

The campaign to establish women's right to vote in the states was conducted simultaneously with the campaign for an amendment to the United States Constitution that would establish that right fully in all states. The campaign succeeded with the ratification of Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.

Background

Emerging from the broader movement for women's rights, the demand for women's suffrage began to gather strength in the 1840s. The Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention, generated a national debate by endorsing women's suffrage in 1848. By the time of the National Women's Rights Convention of 1851, the right to vote had become a central demand of the movement.

The first national suffrage organizations were established in 1869 when two competing organizations were formed, each campaigning for suffrage at both the state and national levels. The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was especially interested in national suffrage amendment. The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), led by Lucy Stone, tended to work more for suffrage at the state level. They merged in 1890 as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).

Prospects for a national amendment looked dim at the turn of the century, and progress at the state level had slowed. In the 1910s, however, the drive for a national amendment was revitalized, and the movement achieved a series of successes at the state level. The newly formed National Woman's Party (NWP), a militant organization led by Alice Paul, focused almost exclusively on the national amendment. The larger NAWSA, under the leadership of Carrie Chapman Catt, also made the suffrage amendment its top priority. In September 1918, President Wilson spoke before the Senate, asking for the suffrage amendment to be approved. The amendment was approved by Congress in 1919 and by the required number of states a year later.

States and regions

West

On the whole, western states and territories were more favorable to women's suffrage than eastern states. It has been suggested that western areas, faced with a shortage of women on the frontier, "sweetened the deal" in order to make themselves more attractive to women so as to encourage female immigration or that they gave the vote as a reward to those women already there. Susan B. Anthony said that western men were more chivalrous than their eastern brethren. In 1871 Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton toured several western states, with special attention to the territories of Wyoming and Utah where women already had equal suffrage. Their suffragist speeches were often ridiculed or denounced by the opinion makers: the politicians, ministers, and editors. Anthony returned to the West in 1877, 1895, and 1896. By the last trip, at age 76, Anthony's views had gained popularity and respect. Activists concentrated on the single issue of suffrage and went directly to the opinion makers to educate them and to persuade them to support the goal of suffrage.

By 1920 when women got the vote nationwide, Wyoming women had already been voting for half a century.

Arizona

Arizona's early women's rights advocates were members of the WCTU. Both Josephine Brawley Hughes and Frances Willard toured the state to recruit members in the mid-1880s. The WCTU was successful at influencing the passage of several women's rights measures in the legislature. During the 1891 constitutional convention for Arizona, women's suffrage was nearly added to the new constitution, but failed by three votes. After the convention, Hughes and Mrs. E. D. Garlick formed the Arizona Suffrage Association. A bill to allow women to vote in school board elections passed in 1897. Women's suffrage bills went to the territorial legislature in 1899 and in 1901, but did not pass. After 1905, the women's suffrage movement stalled in Arizona for several years.

As it looked likely for Arizona to become a state, NAWSA started to campaign in the territory in 1909, sending field worker, Laura Clay. Clay and Frances Munds lobbied the territorial legislature but women's suffrage bills failed despite their efforts. Laura Gregg came to Arizona in 1910 and organized suffrage groups and campaigned. Gregg met with thousands of women and organized Mormon women in the state. Activists formed the Arizona Equal Suffrage Association (AESA) with Munds as president, and launched a campaign to win the vote. During the constitutional convention of 1910, suffragists packed the gallery and Gregg brought a petition of 3,000 signatures in support of equal suffrage. Their efforts failed due to fears that if the Arizona Constitution contained women's suffrage, they would not be admitted as a state. When Arizona became a state in February 1912, suffragists went into action to get a women's suffrage referendum on the ballot. Activists crossed the state and received enough signatures to get suffrage on the ballot. They translated suffrage materials into Spanish. Suffragists in the state reached out to progressive organizations for endorsements, winning the support of influential political and civic leaders, and getting help from NAWSA for speakers and funds. AESA sent delegations to the Republican and Democratic state conventions to argue for their support. The tactics worked and the men voted for woman suffrage in the general election held on 5 November 1912.

Women first registered to vote in 1913 and participated in the state primary elections in 1914. Arizona ratified the Nineteenth Amendment on February 12, 1920. Native Americans in Arizona were excluded from voting due to their citizenship status. In 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act made all Native Americans United States citizens. However, there was disagreement about whether Native Americans in Arizona could now vote. In 1928, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that Native Americans living on reservations could not vote. In 1948, the court reversed that decision. Nevertheless, literacy tests continued to block Native Americans from voting. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped enfranchise more Native Americans.

California

California's voters granted women's suffrage in 1911, when they adopted Proposition 4. Hundreds of women and men were involved in the California suffrage campaign. Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee was the first Chinese American woman voter in the United States. She registered to vote on November 8, 1911, in California.

Colorado

The former territorial governor, John Evans, promoted women's suffrage in the territorial legislature in 1868. Women's suffrage was proposed again in the legislature by Governor Edward M. McCook in 1870. A women's suffrage group, the Territorial Woman Suffrage Society was formed in 1876 and went on to address the state constitutional convention. While women did not get equal suffrage from the new constitution, they were granted the right to vote in school board elections. A full suffrage referendum was passed and would be voted on October 2, 1877. Despite the efforts of suffragists from around the country, the referendum was defeated. Activists continued to fight for equal suffrage, forming new groups, lobbying the legislature, writing about suffrage, and urging women to exercise their right to vote in school elections.

The Colorado General Assembly passed another referendum for 1893. Suffrage groups in the state started out with only $25 to fund their campaigns. NAWSA sent funds and organizers to Colorado. Journalist, Minnie Reynolds convinced around 75% of newspapers in the state to support the suffrage effort. When the referendum passed on November 7, 1893, it made Colorado second state to give women suffrage and the first state where the men voted to give women the right to vote.see facsimile at After women gained equal suffrage, they ran for office and supported reform efforts in the state. Activists from Colorado continued to support women's suffrage efforts in other states and some, like Caroline Spencer, joined the Congressional Union. Colorado ratified the 19th Amendment on December 15, 1919. Native American women who lived on reservations, however, were unable to vote in Colorado until 1970.

Idaho Idaho approved a constitutional amendment in 1896 with a statewide vote giving women the right to vote. Idaho was one of the first states to allow the amendment.

Montana

Montana's men voted to end the discrimination against women in 1914, and together they proceeded to elect the first woman to the United States Congress in 1916, Jeannette Rankin.

Nevada

New Mexico

New Mexico allowed women to vote in school board elections when the state constitution was written and after it became a state. After this, suffragists in New Mexico continued to fight for a federal suffrage amendment.

Oregon One after another, western states granted the right of voting to their women citizens, the only opposition being presented by the liquor interests and the machine politicians. In Oregon, Abigail Scott Duniway (1834–1915) was the long-time leader, supporting the cause through speeches and her weekly newspaper The New Northwest, (1871–1887).Ruth Barnes Moynihan, Rebel for Rights: Abigail Scott Duniway (1983) Suffrage was won in 1912 by activists who used the new initiative processes.

Utah

The prevalence of Mormonism in Utah made the fight for women's suffrage there unique. In 1869 the Utah Territory, controlled by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), gave women the right to vote. Seraph Young, the niece of Brigham Young, was the first woman to vote under a women's equal suffrage law in the United States, due to a municipal election held on February 14, 1869 (Wyoming had recognized women's right to vote earlier that year, but had not yet held an election). However, in 1887, Congress disenfranchised Utah women with the Edmunds–Tucker Act, which was designed to weaken the Mormons politically and punish them for polygamy. At the same time, however, certain activists, particularly Presbyterians and other Protestants convinced that Mormonism was a non-Christian cult that grossly mistreated women, promoted women's suffrage in Utah as an experiment, and as a way to eliminate polygamy. The LDS Church officially ended its endorsement of polygamy in 1890 and in 1895 Utah adopted a constitution restoring the right of woman suffrage. Congress admitted Utah as a state with that constitution in 1896.

Washington In 1854, Washington became one of the first territories to attempt granting voting rights to women; the legislative measure was defeated by only one vote. In 1871, the Washington Women's Suffrage Association was formed, largely attributable to a crusade through Washington and Oregon led by Susan B. Anthony and Abigail Scott Duniway. The late nineteenth century saw a seesaw of bills passed by the Territorial Legislature and subsequently overturned by the Territorial Supreme Court, as the competing interests of the suffrage movement and the liquor industry (which was being damaged by the women's vote) battled over the issue. The first successful bill passed in 1883 (overturned in 1887), the next in 1888 (overturned the same year). The women's suffrage movement next hoped to secure the right to vote via voter referendum, first in 1889 (the same year Washington achieved statehood), and again in 1898, but both referendum bids were unsuccessful. A constitutional amendment finally granted women the right to vote in 1910.

Wyoming