Arizona History Lesson: Women’s Suffrage
Question: When did the Arizona Constitution provide full women’s suffrage?
- During the territorial period, the Constitutional Convention proposed it.
- Immediately upon statehood in February 1912, as a demand of Congress.
- In November 1912, after Arizona’s first general election, it approved an initiative amendment.
- In 1920, after the Nineteenth Amendment made it a national requirement.
Background
Arizona did not enter the Union with women’s suffrage, but it has had it almost since the beginning, and well before the Nineteenth Amendment made it a uniform federal requirement in 1920. One of the first five amendments approved by the voters in the November 1912 elections created a constitutional right of women to vote in Arizona.
The absence of women’s suffrage in Arizona before 1912 is perhaps striking, considering the Mountain West states were the earliest to have it, starting with the territory of Wyoming in 1869 and continuing as the region secured statehood in the closing decades of the 19th century. (All but New Mexico had women’s suffrage by 1914). Similarly, the Territory of Arizona had already eliminated some of the notorious common-law restrictions on women’s ability to control property.
The 1891 Arizona Constitutional Convention had considered women’s suffrage and rejected it, not for its own sake, but because conventiongoers feared it would encourage other political reforms.
A similar thing happened in 1910: the convention members considered proposals for women’s suffrage, but ultimately decided not to press the issue. For example, convention president and future governor George Hunt was considered a defender of women’s suffrage but became notably quiet about the issue at the Arizona Constitutional Convention. This was even as women suffragettes, such as Frances Willard Munds, who chaired the Arizona Equal Suffrage Association, and Pauline O’Neill, the widow of Buckey O’Neill, protested for it, noting that, for example, it was taxation without representation, and that even conservatives such as Mormons were for it. (William Howard Taft, though opposed to women’s suffrage via a federal mandate, had indicated the cause for it was stronger in the western states).
Why did the Constitutional Convention decide not to include women’s suffrage in the Arizona Constitution? The basic answer is that like issues of home rule (local government), women’s suffrage became a proxy battle for the prohibition of alcohol. In 1910, America was in the midst of what historians now consider the third wave of prohibition (after one in the 1850s, centered in the northeast and Midwest, and a second in the Midwest in the 1880s and 1890s). No longer confined to evangelicals and rural Americans, prohibition now became popular with progressive reformers, big business, and both racists and opponents of racism. (Within a few short years the South went from almost totally “wet”—where alcohol was legal—to almost completely “dry”—meaning alcohol was banned in those states.)
Many of the leading reformers calling for prohibition were women; for example, one of the most powerful groups advocating prohibition was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. This led to a widespread belief that if women’s suffrage was granted, it would lead to prohibition, which was feared not only by bars and brewers, but by citizens who wanted to be able to continue to drink alcohol. On top of all that, a constitution that got tagged as proprohibition would possibly have a harder time passing, since at least some anti prohibition Arizonans could be expected to vote against approving the constitution if it would usher in a policy they despised.
Thus, in addition to many of the generic arguments against women’s suffrage being made at the time in America, in Arizona others feared that it would lead to prohibition.
As a result, the convention punted on the issue (no one opposed the proposal for women’s suffrage; they just voted to come back to it later… and then didn’t). This meant that the main suffrage section in Article VII of the proposed Constitution reserved voting to “male” citizens:
No person shall be entitled to vote at any general election… or upon any question which may be submitted to a vote of the people, except school elections as provided in Section 8 of this Article, unless such person be a male citizen of the United States of the age of twenty-one years or over, and shall have resided in the State one year immediately preceding such election.
Consequently, other than the aside in Article VII, Section 8 allowing women to vote for local school boards, suffrage in Arizona remained a privilege for men only. Some convention members evidently hoped that the initiative process would mean women’s suffrage would soon follow, and thus their decision was a brief postponement. And although the convention did deny women suffrage, it did guarantee equal access to education: Article XI, Section 4 insisted that “the university and all other state educational institutions shall be open to students of both sexes.”
After the convention, Hunt briefly attempted to curry legislative support for women’s suffrage in the first legislative session. An amendment passed the House but narrowly failed in the Senate. Thus, Munds and her allies at AESA had to turn to the initiative process, proposing an amendment to Article VII.2 that dropped the male qualification, and added this section.
The word "citizen" shall include persons of the male and female sex. The rights of citizens of the United States to vote and hold office shall not be denied or abridged by the State, or any political division or municipality thereof, on account of sex, and the right to register, to vote and hold office under any law now in effect, or which may hereafter be enacted, is hereby enacted to, and conferred upon males and females alike.
After a carefully planned campaign to rally support for the proposed amendment, that initiative passed by about two to one in the November elections, instituting suffrage for Arizona women well before it became the nationwide standard.
Compared to most states, Arizonans have proven more likely to choose women for positions of political power. It has had two women serve as chief justice, and a higher percentage of female governors than any other state, almost one in four (as of 2022, 5/22): Rose Mofford, Jane Dee Hull, Janet Napolitano, Jan Brewer, and Katie Hobbs. Between 2018 and 2020 both of its United States Senators, Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema, were women. At one period in the late 1990s, every major office in the popularly elected plural executive: the governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, and superintendent of public schools, was held by a woman. And of course, Sandra Day O’Connor, who later became the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court after her appointment by Ronald Reagan in 1981, led a legislative party caucus, in her case as the leader of the Republican senate majority in the 1970s. This has since been repeated; for example, Republican Karen Fann became Senate president in 2019, while Democrats Charlene Fernandez served as the House minority leader from 2019-2021 and future governor Katie Hobbs had been the senate minority leader from 2015 through 2019.
Arizona and Women’s Right to Vote
When Arizona became a state, women didn’t have the right to vote at first. But in 1912, Arizona voters decided that women should be able to vote, and they changed the rules to make it happen! This was eight years before the whole country said women could vote with the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Some nearby states, like Wyoming and Colorado, allowed women to vote even earlier than Arizona. By 1914, most states in the Mountain West had let women vote, except New Mexico. Arizona had also made it easier for women to own and control their property, but they still couldn’t vote.
At a big meeting called the Constitutional Convention, where leaders wrote the rules for Arizona, some people wanted women to have the right to vote. However, others were worried that giving women the vote would lead to more changes, like a ban on alcohol. Many women wanted the right to vote, but they also supported the idea of banning alcohol, which made some people nervous.
Even though leaders like George Hunt supported women voting, they didn’t push for it at the convention. Women like Frances Willard Munds and Pauline O’Neill worked hard to make sure their voices were heard. They argued that women should be able to vote because they were being taxed without being able to have a say.
When Arizona became a state, women still couldn’t vote in most elections. They were only allowed to vote in school elections, which was a small start. In 1912, Munds and her group tried to get a law passed to let women vote, but it didn’t work. So, they decided to ask the voters directly for a change to the rules.
They worked really hard to get support, and in November 1912, the voters agreed! Women in Arizona finally had the right to vote, even before it was a rule for the entire country.
Since then, Arizona has become known for electing women to important jobs. The state has had several women serve as governors, like Rose Mofford, Janet Napolitano, and Katie Hobbs. Arizona even had two women as U.S. Senators at the same time: Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema. Sandra Day O’Connor, who grew up in Arizona, became the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981.
Questions to Think About:
- Why do you think some people were nervous about giving women the right to vote?
- How do you think allowing women to vote changed Arizona?
- What would have happened if Arizona hadn’t allowed women to vote in 1912?
Arizona and Women’s Right to Vote
When Arizona became a state, it didn’t allow women to vote at first. But not long after, in 1912, Arizona voters passed a change to the state’s constitution that gave women the right to vote. This happened eight years before the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1920, which made it a national law across the whole country.
Other nearby states in the Mountain West, like Wyoming and Colorado, gave women the right to vote earlier than Arizona. By 1914, most of these states allowed women to vote, except for New Mexico. Arizona had also already made it easier for women to own and control property, but they hadn’t yet allowed them to vote.
During Arizona’s Constitutional Convention, where leaders wrote the state’s rules, some people supported women’s suffrage (the right to vote), but others were afraid it would bring more political changes they didn’t want, like prohibition, which would ban alcohol. Many women who wanted the right to vote also supported prohibition, and some Arizonans were worried that giving women the vote would lead to banning alcohol, which was unpopular with some people.
Even though some leaders like George Hunt, who became the first governor of Arizona, supported women’s right to vote, they didn’t push for it at the convention. Women like Frances Willard Munds, the leader of the Arizona Equal Suffrage Association, and Pauline O’Neill, fought hard to make sure their voices were heard. They argued that women should have the right to vote, especially since they were being taxed without having representation.
When Arizona became a state, women still didn’t have the right to vote. But they were allowed to vote in school elections, which was a small step. In 1912, after failing to get the state legislature to pass a law giving women the vote, Munds and her group turned to the initiative process. They proposed a change to the constitution that would allow women to vote, just like men.
Their campaign was successful, and in the November 1912 elections, the initiative passed with a strong majority. Arizona women finally had the right to vote, years before the national law required it.
Since then, Arizona has become known for electing women to important positions. The state has had several women serve as governor, including Rose Mofford, Janet Napolitano, and Katie Hobbs. Arizona even had both of its U.S. Senators be women at the same time: Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema. Sandra Day O’Connor, who grew up in Arizona, served in state government before becoameing the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981.
Discussion Questions:
- Why do you think some people were afraid to give women the right to vote?
- How do you think giving women the right to vote changed Arizona?
- What do you think would have happened if Arizona didn’t allow women to vote in 1912?
Arizona and Women’s Right to Vote
When Arizona became a state, women didn’t have the right to vote at first. But in 1912, Arizona voters decided that women should be able to vote, and they changed the rules to make it happen! This was eight years before the whole country said women could vote with the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Some nearby states, like Wyoming and Colorado, allowed women to vote even earlier than Arizona. By 1914, most states in the Mountain West had let women vote, except New Mexico. Arizona had also made it easier for women to own and control their property, but they still couldn’t vote.
At a big meeting called the Constitutional Convention, where leaders wrote the rules for Arizona, some people wanted women to have the right to vote. However, others were worried that giving women the vote would lead to more changes, like a ban on alcohol. Many women wanted the right to vote, but they also supported the idea of banning alcohol, which made some people nervous.
Even though leaders like George Hunt supported women voting, they didn’t push for it at the convention. Women like Frances Willard Munds and Pauline O’Neill worked hard to make sure their voices were heard. They argued that women should be able to vote because they were being taxed without being able to have a say.
When Arizona became a state, women still couldn’t vote in most elections. They were only allowed to vote in school elections, which was a small start. In 1912, Munds and her group tried to get a law passed to let women vote, but it didn’t work. So, they decided to ask the voters directly for a change to the rules.
They worked really hard to get support, and in November 1912, the voters agreed! Women in Arizona finally had the right to vote, even before it was a rule for the entire country.
Since then, Arizona has become known for electing women to important jobs. The state has had several women serve as governors, like Rose Mofford, Janet Napolitano, and Katie Hobbs. Arizona even had two women as U.S. Senators at the same time: Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema. Sandra Day O’Connor, who grew up in Arizona, became the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981.
Questions to Think About:
- Why do you think some people were nervous about giving women the right to vote?
- How do you think allowing women to vote changed Arizona?
- What would have happened if Arizona hadn’t allowed women to vote in 1912?