This is a good time to remember that on April 2, 2019, there is an election in many parts of the state. Be sure to get out and vote!

April 5, 2019 is the 100th anniversary of a groundbreaking law passed by the Missouri Legislature in 1919, the Presidential Suffrage Bill.

 

In the months prior to the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Missouri Women Suffrage Association worked tirelessly toward enactment of legislation in Missouri which would enable women to vote for President and Vice-President.  The Presidential Suffrage Bill (Bill #1) was the first bill introduced in the new State Capitol. It would allow the women of Missouri to vote for President and Vice-President in the 1920 election.

 

The bill was passed by the 50th General Assembly; and on Saturday, April 5, 1919, in the presence of members of the Missouri Women Suffrage Association, Governor Frederick D. Gardner signed the bill.

 

This month, both the Missouri Senate and the Missouri House of Representatives have issued Proclamations honoring this historic event.

 

The Missouri Women Suffrage Association became the League of Women Voters of Missouri, an organization which one hundred years later continues its mission to educate and empower voters.