County Council recognizes 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in Washington state

Proclamation declares November 8 Washington Women’s Suffrage Centennial Day in King County

On this day in 1910, the men of Washington State voted nearly two-to-one in favor of granting women the right to vote, ending a 50-year battle for equal rights and marking the start of a century of women’s leadership in Washington. Today, the Metropolitan King County Council recognized this milestone in history by declaring November 8 Washington Women’s Suffrage Centennial Day in King County.

Washington was the fifth state in the union to enact women’s suffrage, nearly ten years before women won the right to vote nationwide with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.

King County has had numerous women civic leaders in its history, including King County Freeholders Lois H. North and Virginia K. Gunby, who helped craft the King County Home Rule charter, and King County Councilmembers Bernice Stern, Ruby Chow, Pat Thorpe, Lois North, Audrey Gruger, Cynthia Sullivan, Louise Miller, Jane Hague, Maggi Fimia, Julia Patterson, Carolyn Edmonds, Kathy Lambert, and Jan Drago.

Councilmember Drago presented the proclamation to representatives of the League of Women Voters, a group that was formed to support the ratification of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and continues today to advocate for women’s role in shaping public policy and exercising their right to vote.

“We are very grateful to the King County Council for recognizing this special day,” said Allison Feher, President of the League of Women Voters of Greater Seattle. “We strive to carry on the tradition started by those brave women one hundred years ago, and encourage every eligible woman to exercise her civil rights and vote.”