Press Releases

WILMINGTON, DE - Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) issued the following statement to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, which prohibited states from denying a citizen the right to vote on the basis of sex. 

“One Hundred Years Ago, today, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was formally adopted, prohibiting states from denying a citizen the right to vote on the basis of sex. It took nearly half a century from the time it was introduced until the time it was ratified. Even after its ratification, state constitutions maintained loopholes to prevent up to 75 percent of Black women from using their franchise. 

The introduction, passage, and ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment was a truly transformative period in our history. From Seneca Falls, to the halls of Congress, to the floors of state legislatures - achieving its final adoption was a truly incredible feat by truly incredible suffragists and their allies. These women advocated, marched, fought, and died for their right to make their voice heard at the ballot box. A century later, our work is far from over. While we have made major advances toward granting a true franchise to all of our citizens, much of that work has been clawed back in recent years. 

And so today, on the centennial of its adoption, let us celebrate and commemorate the truly remarkable work of the women who came before us, let us acknowledge how much further we have to go to ensure that every citizen in this country - regardless of race, sex, station, history, or means is able to exercise their right to vote - and let us recommit ourselves to the hard work of securing that most sacred democratic right.”

###