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SALT LAKE CITY — With a historic Salt Lake City mayoral election between two women being determined, we decided to take a look back at the history of women’s voting rights in Utah, along with the roles of women in the state’s public offices.
The road to voting
As many people know, Utah women gained the right to vote before most of the country; however, Utah also took away women's voting rights shortly after granting them.
A few months after Wyoming granted women the right to vote, Utah followed suit in February 1870.
Utah was (and still is) an interesting landscape when it came to politics. Some Latter-day Saints wanted women to have the right to vote, according to Utah Women's History, so they could then vote in favor of legalizing polygamy, while many anti-polygamists supported women's suffrage so women could vote against polygamy.
Seventeen years later, women lost the right to vote after the Edmunds-Tucker Act was passed in 1887. One section of the act, Section 20, denied all women the right to vote. Utah was still a territory during this time and did not achieve statehood until 1896.
Notable women in the movement
Several notable Utah women fought for the right to vote, including Emmeline B. Wells. In a addition to being a known activist in the Utah’s women’s suffrage movement, Wells served as a writer and editor for the semimonthly periodical “Woman’s Exponent,” according to the Utah State Historical Society.
Wells was also elected by Utah women to represent them at national suffrage conventions, according to Better Days 2020.
She went on to run for the state Legislature but lost to her friend and mentee Martha Hughes Cannon, who went on to serve one four-year term.
Cannon garnered national attention when she won the seat in 1896. She was not only the first woman elected to a state legislature, but she also ran against and defeated her husband, who was also on the ballot.
A statue of Cannon will go on display at the United State Capitol in 2020.
Landmark dates
Sept. 30 marked the 100th anniversary of Utah becoming the 17th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1919, an amendment that prohibited states from denying individuals the right to vote based on their gender. The anniversary was celebrated in October and the original bill was put on display at the Utah State Capitol.
Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment being ratified to the U.S. Constitution and the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed voting discrimination.
Women in politics today
Utah women are continuing to make history. This year's state legislature contained more women than ever before, with women accounting for 25 of the 104 lawmakers during Utah's 45-day session.
Additionally, for the first time in the city's history, this year’s Salt Lake City mayor’s race is between two women. Whoever wins will become the city’s third female mayor.
While Utah is still ranked among the worst in the nation for women's equality, it's important to know how far the state has come and recognize the women who helped fight for the movement.
