Suffrage means the right to vote in an election. Voting is an important part of how citizens can participate in government. But in the past, some groups of people weren’t allowed to vote. Over many years, people have fought for the right to vote and these laws have helped to ensure the right to vote for their communities.
In Short
Voting is an important process where people choose who is going to lead the government and make decisions. When everyone can vote, it helps make things fair and allows all people to have their voices heard. But throughout history, many people have not been allowed to vote. Some thought that decisions should only be made by certain people so they made rules that only allowed certain people to vote. Before 1870, only white men had the right to vote. These rules were unfair because they didn’t allow everyone to share their opinions and help make important choices for their communities. Over time, different groups of people fought for the right to vote so everyone could have a say in how the government works.
Utah Women’s Suffrage (1870, 1896, 1920)
Utah women were among the first women in the United States to have a law allowing them to vote. In 1870, the Utah territorial legislature unanimously voted to pass a women’s suffrage law. Under this law, Utah women were the first to legally vote in the United States. However, seventeen years later this law was taken away by the U.S. Congress as part of an effort to force the LDS church to end polygamy (plural marriage). Utah women again fought for their right to vote and women’s suffrage was included in the Utah state constitution when Utah became a state in 1896. At that time, only three states allowed women to vote, and they were all in the West: Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Women across the country continued to work to gain the right to vote for 24 more years! Finally, in 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed, granting women in every state the right to vote.
Indian Citizenship Act (1924, 1957)
This law gave full citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States. Before this law, Native Americans weren’t considered citizens, even though they had always lived in the United States. Still, the right to vote for Native Americans was decided by each state. Native American communities in Utah fought hard for their right to vote, even taking a case to the Supreme Court. Utah was one of the last states to allow Native Americans to vote. In 1957, the state legislature removed a previous law passed in 1897 and this finally allowed Native Americans in Utah to vote.
Immigration and Nationality Act (1952)
Following the end of World War II, the United States started to end discrimination against people who immigrated here from Asian and Pacific Island countries. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 removed rules that did not allow Asians or Pacific Islanders to become US citizens and have the right to vote. This law opened an important pathway that allowed many immigrants, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders to become citizens and exercise their right to vote.
Voting Rights Act (1965, 1975)
After the Civil War ended slavery in the United States, Congress passed a law that was intended to give freedpeople voting rights so they could have a voice in their government. However, Black people faced many challenges as they tried to exercise their right to vote. Many states had rules that made it hard or even impossible for Black people and other minorities to vote. For example, they might have to pass a difficult test or pay a lot of money just to vote. In 1965–one hundred years after the Civil War ended– Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. This law got rid of the unfair rules and made it easier for everyone’s voices to be heard. In 1975, an extension was added to this law that removed voting discrimination based on language barriers, making it possible for citizens who do not speak English to vote too.
Important Rights Secured
Suffrage laws are an important part of making sure that everyone has a fair chance to voice their concerns and share their ideas with the people in government. Throughout Utah’s history, many groups and communities have worked to make sure that more people’s voices are heard. These laws have helped more communities throughout the state to have a say in how their government works.
By Eliza Carr
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