North Dakota
North Dakota’s Fight for Suffrage
Women worked for over 70 years to get the vote. Divisions over race, tactics, and strategy did not stop suffrage efforts. Women kept their eyes on the prize . . . suffrage. Learn more about the fight for suffrage in North Dakota in the timeline below, or download the timeline as a printable PDF.
North Dakota’s Suffrage Timeline
1875
The Dakota Territory House of Representatives passed a full suffrage bill, but the Council (Upper House) approved a bill only allowing municipal suffrage rights.
1880s
Dr. Cora Smith Eaton, one of the earliest female physicians in North Dakota, served as the first president of the Grand Forks Equal Suffrage Association (GFESA). Eaton worked on suffrage, public health, temperance, and civic reform for her entire career, and was also an accomplished mountaineer. She famously brought “Votes for Women” banners to some of the country’s highest summits and posed for publicity photos.
1885
The Territorial Legislature passed a full suffrage bill, but Governor Gilbert Pierce vetoed the legislation.
1892
The North Dakota Legislature passed a bill granting women full suffrage. After passage, the House Speaker blocked the legislation from the governor’s signature by refusing to sign the bill, a procedural requirement. Elizabeth Anderson, President of North Dakota’s Women’s Christian Temperance Union for 40 years, attended every legislative session to keep records and note the vote counts. The House subsequently expunged its records related to the bill, but Anderson’s record-keeping has preserved knowledge of the Speaker’s block.
1901
Legislators introduced suffrage bills each legislative session for the next decade.
1912
The North Dakota’s Votes for Women League (VWL) was formed. When the legislature considered suffrage legislation in 1913, VWL barnstormed to support suffrage through literature drops and rallies. After the bill’s passage, VWL ramped up its campaigning by organizing a newly-energized, broad grass-roots campaign.
The railroad and liquor industries funded the Anti-Woman Suffrage League (AWSL) and the Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage (AOWS). AOWS campaigned relentlessly and flooded voters with literature touting the importance of women’s roles in the home.
1914
The suffrage measure failed with 49,348 votes in opposition and 40,209 votes in support.
1917
The legislature passed a partial suffrage law, granting women the right to vote for presidential electors, county officials, city officials, and township officers.
December 1, 1919
North Dakota became the 20th state to ratify the 19th Amendment.
References
Carpenter, Katie and Lisa Fair McEvers (2020). 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage: Celebrating Pilgrims on the Journey for Equality – One Step at a Time. North Dakota Law Review. https://law.und.edu/_files/docs/ndlr/pdf/issues/95/3/95ndlr475.pdf.
Cooney, Robert. (2005). Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement. American Graphic Press.
North Dakota and the 19th Amendment. (2021, November 24). National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/north-dakota-and-the-19th-amendment.htm.
North Dakota Women’s Suffrage Amendment (1914). (n.d.). Ballotpedia. https://ballotpedia.org/North_Dakota_Womens_Suffrage_Amendment_(1914).
Orvik, J. (2020, November 3). UND’s Unforgettable Dr. Cora Smith Eaton King, Class of 1889. UND Today. https://blogs.und.edu/und-today/2020/11/unds-unforgettable-dr-cora-smith-eaton-king-class-of-1889/.
Peterson, C. (2020, July 30). 100 Years of Votes for Women: How the Ballot was Won in North Dakota. North Dakota Living. https://www.ndliving.com/100-years-votes-women-how-ballot-was-won-north-dakota.
Suffragists in North Dakota. (n.d.). Turning Point Suffragist Memorial. https://suffragistmemorial.org/suffragists-in-north-dakota/.
Woman Suffrage 1870 to 1893. (n.d.). State Historical Society of North Dakota. https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr8/content/unit-iii-waves-development-1861-1920/lesson-4-alliances-and-conflicts/topic-8-suffrage/section-2-woman-suffrage-1870-1893.
Woman Suffrage 1912 to 1920. (n.d.). State Historical Society of North Dakota. https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr8/content/unit-iii-waves-development-1861-1920/lesson-4-alliances-and-conflicts/topic-8-suffrage/section-3-woman-suffrage-1912-1920.
Woman Suffrage at Statehood – Introduction. (n.d.). State Historical Society of North Dakota. https://www.history.nd.gov/textbook/unit4_1_suffrage_intro.html.