08/26/2026
On this 106th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that granted suffrage to U.S. women, we celebrate the hard-won gains by sisters of past generations and stand with calls to continue the fight to retain and expand voting rights.
While some may take the vote for granted, this basic requirement for democratic participation was only achieved for most people through sustained collective organized action. After decades of struggle, the 19th Amendment was passed by Congress in 1920, declaring that citizens cannot be disenfranchised from voting on the basis of s*x. In reality, that right was not realized for women of color for many more years. Although the 15th Amendment, which declared voters could not be disenfranchised on the basis of race, was passed decades earlier, that right was suppressed in many states due to racist barriers such as poll taxes, "literacy" tests, and domestic terrorism by groups like the K*K.
It was not until 1965 with passage of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) that many Black voters, including Black women, were finally able to exercise their right to participate in elections. However, it was only in 1975 that an amendment to the VRA specifically guaranteed protections for Latina/o, Asian American, Native American and Native Alaskan voters. The VRA finally reached its full strength in 1982, when Section 2 was amended by Congress to focus on disproportionate effects rather than the stated purpose of state voting laws. This change was vital for helping ensure that voices of color could be heard in the electoral system.
Unsurprisingly, these advances have been intolerable to reactionaries, fascists, and white nationalists. Unequal representation benefits the rich and powerful. And so they have long conspired to seize back gains won by and for the diverse U.S. working class. From the initial passage of the VRA, they have repeatedly challenged it. Under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, the U.S. Supreme Court has been only too willing to weaken the VRA. Through successive rulings, with the most damaging coming earlier this year, the high court has effectively nullified Section 2 of the VRA, allowing partisan gerrymandering to wash out districts with majority Black and brown voters.
Efforts are also underway to restrict or eliminate mail-in voting, which most people use. Mail-in ballots allow voters to make informed choices at times that work best with their schedules. Working people, rural residents, parents, people with disabilities, and elders often face barriers getting to the polls or can’t wait hours in line to cast their vote. Clearly, a forced return to in-person voting is designed to further reduce participation by the less privileged.
Meanwhile, many right-wing think tanks and so-called "edge lords" (who say extreme things as a "joke" to try to move the frame of what is considered acceptable) spout views that women as a whole should no longer be allowed to vote! Others espouse a more "moderate" view that each household should have a single vote rather allowing individual, potentially conflicting, votes! They never clearly define their concept of "household,” which is also concerning since these same reactionary influencers promote patriarchal families and heteros*xual marriage.
SAVE THE VOTE BY MOBILIZING OUTSIDE THE BALLOT BOX
In response to these grave threats, many people are placing their hopes in the outcome of the midterm elections this November – an imprudent strategy, fully promoted by NGOs and moderates. Perhaps they forget that when Democrats controlled the Executive and both chambers of Congress they still failed to pass the John R. Lewis voting rights act in 2021 -- after the right-wing January 6th riots! It is also quite clear that we cannot rely on the courts to preserve voting rights.
What’s the alternative? Feminist activists can take inspiration from our suffragist and civil rights forebears. They found little gain from petitioning representatives, so they moved to organize direct action. Now as then, our voices are not limited to biannual elections -- we can picket, hold sit-ins, strike, and more!
Recall that suffragists were not only upper-crust Victorian women parading down the street in sashes. Women of all backgrounds were part of the movement, and many were involved in other movements as well -- including abolition and workers' rights. The importance of these causes motivated them to fight for the vote. They picketed and some even chained themselves to the fence of the White House to dramatize their resolve.
In this moment more than ever, we need to look to the lessons of the past as we organize for the future. It is not through elected representation alone that we exercise our views. We must organize and fight to make change. To not only protect and expand the right to vote, but to also strengthen and expand the civil rights and liberties under attack. And to create a world where women workers and allies hold the power, not corporate elites and billionaires.
