| Today, we join in commemorating an important milestone in the history of women’s suffrage. On this day in 1893, voters in the Centennial State passed constitutional amendment HB 118, prohibiting discrimination against women in voting laws.
It was the first time that our nation extended voting rights beyond men—not by a stroke of the pen—but by popular vote.
And right after making history in 1893, Colorado voters did so again one year later. They went on to become the nation’s first to elect women to their state legislature.
Then, as soon as women joined the electorate, and then government, laws and politics immediately began to change in ways beneficial to all Coloradans. This is why the vision of the Women’s Vote Centennial Colorado is a future where Coloradans of every background and identity prosper.
Yet this is not a history of swift and unqualified progress. In fact, it took 16 years for voters in Colorado to choose more democratic voting laws. The first attempt to extend voting rights, in 1877, was soundly defeated—and battles for the right to vote had only just begun.
There are powerful truths inherent in this history:
- Coloradans have to work, and collaborate, for the change we seek.
- Your vote does make a difference, and every vote counts.
- You shape history every time you vote.
Share this message today. #HerColorado |
