Calling All Ladies!

The ability and opportunity to vote for our leaders is possibly the greatest right and responsibility Americans have. Historically, not all people in America were allowed to vote. The road to suffrage has not been straight-forward.

When the Colonies declared their independence, voting was one of the issues heavy on their minds. The British Parliamentary system was convoluted at best. The upshot was this: the man representing you and your district did not need to live in your district and was under no law to even visit on a regular basis. Hence the cry of "no taxation without representation."

Don't be fooled, however. The founding fathers still decided only men of property could vote. When the Constitution was ratified, it provided for only 6% of the population to vote for President and Congressmen.

The different states abolished this need for property, at different times, between 1792 and 1856. Most older states made this change by the mid-1820s. The election of 1828 as the first presidential election in which men without significant property were allowed to vote in the majority of the states.

The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, provided the right to vote for all men, no matter what "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." That was the law, but it didn't work out that way in practice. Southern states passed "Jim Crow laws" that placed impossible requirements on voters, which meant freed slaves were still unable to vote.

Native American men were granted the right to vote in 1887 via the Dawes Act. There was a catch, though. They had to disassociate themselves from their tribe. You can vote, but only if you agree to leave your culture. I wonder how many Native Americans took the US up on its offer. This didn't change until 1924.

Women were the last group of Americans to be granted the right to vote, and that's where today's post was eventually going. On this day in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson spoke before Congress, in support of women's suffrage. The House of Representatives had already passed the law, but the Senate hadn't. As with many things in the suffrage category, the reality didn't always resemble the law.

The Nineteenth Amendment was finally ratified in 1920. Women were granted the right to vote.

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As we approach the midterm elections, there are three ways to make the most of your right to vote.

1. Register to vote. Every state is different in terms of deadlines, so check on-line for your state. Pennsylvania's deadline to register online to vote is Tuesday, October 9. You can also register by mail, but the state or in person.

2. Know the issues. This takes time and effort. Do some digging. If you're hiring a candidate to fill a top-notch position in your company, you're not going to take their resume at face value. Don't do it with your senators and representatives.

3. Vote! Find your polling station. Wake up early, treat yourself to a cup of coffee, and vote. News outlets aren't yet posting what freebies are available, but in the past, places like Krispy Kreme and 7-Eleven have offered free donuts or coffee if you show your "I voted!" sticker. I get to participate in my government and I get free coffee? Yes, ma'am!

Tuesday, November 6, 2018 is Voting Day. See you at the polls!