At the Capitol, a celebration of Wisconsin’s status as the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, 100 years ago. Former Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch noted that women have taken full advantage of the right to vote. “Since the 1980s, women have outnumbered men at the polls. Women today are 53% of the electorate.”
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley urged young women to learn from the stories of women in the suffrage movement, by voting and getting involved in the political process.
Comments from state Sheila Stubbs of Madison and Stockbridge Munsee Mohican Band President Shannon Holsey served as a reminder that women of color were largely excluded from the suffrage movement. State Representative Jesse Rodriguez said women also gained other rights, from keeping the wages they earned to having custody of their children. “A lot was on the line, and I’m glad that women led the effort, and didn’t falter.”
The event in the rotunda on Monday included a display of the original document that was ratified by the Wisconsin legislature.
