South Dakota
South 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 South Dakota in the timeline below, or download the timeline as a printable PDF.
South Dakota’s Suffrage Timeline
1870s
The Territorial Legislature considered suffrage legislation several times, and rejected the notion of women voting.
1885
The Territorial Legislature granted women voting rights for school board elections. The same year, Marietta Bones established the Dakota Territory Suffrage Club in Yankton, the territory’s capital.
1889
Suffragists suffered a major setback when South Dakota became a state, and its new constitution specifically limited voting to men. This limitation meant that the legislature could no longer change the suffrage law on its own; instead, it needed to use the constitutional amendment route—bill passage during two successive legislative sessions and a successful voter referendum.
The same year, suffragists founded the South Dakota Equal Suffrage Association (SDESA). Mamie Shields Pyle led SDESA for decades and worked with legislators and other community leaders. Pyle understood that many voters feared the temperance movement and tried to isolate SDESA from its efforts.
1890
After the state legislature passed a suffrage bill, voters soundly defeated the referendum.
1898
The legislature passed another suffrage bill, and SDESA mounted an active campaign with national leaders like Susan B. Anthony traveling to the state. The anti-suffrage forces were also active, particularly the liquor industry, and South Dakota voters again defeated the bill.
1912
Suffragists formed the South Dakota Universal Franchise League (SDUFL) and published the South Dakota Messenger to expand their support. Under the leadership of Alma Storm, the Messenger advocated a more confrontational approach to suffrage—acknowledging that suffrage was a right, not a privilege.
1918
Much like national suffrage groups, SDESA and SDUFL worked separately and each filled vital roles. SDESA provided the essential organizational, strategic, and mobilization work, while SDUFL and the Messenger offered fiery rhetoric in support of the suffrage referendum. Suffrage finally became South Dakota law, with 64% of South Dakota’s voters approving the referendum.
December 4, 1919
The Alabama Legislature ratified the 19th Amendment.*
References
Cooney, Robert. (2005). Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement. American Graphic Press.
Brief S.D. Suffrage Timeline. (n.d.). Her Vote, Her Voice. https://www.hervotehervoice.org/timeline
Lynch, A. (n.d.). Biographical Sketch of Marietta Bones. Alexander Street. https://documents.alexanderstreet.com/d/1010596354
South Dakota and the 19th Amendment. (2019, August 15). National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/south-dakota-women-s-history.htm
Wittmayer, C. (2018, November 18). Suffrage Presentation. Rural Life Museum. https://www.minercountyhistoricalsociety.org/south-dakota-suffrage-movement.html