2
3
4
5
6
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution commemorates the centennial of the League of Women
11 Voters.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 ▸ recognizes the League of Women Voters as an important civic organization working
15 for the welfare of all Utahns;
16 ▸ acknowledges the long history of civic engagement by the League; and
17 ▸ commemorates the League's centennial on February 14, 2020.
18 Special Clauses:
19 None
20
21 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
22 WHEREAS, the history of women voting in Utah is long and vibrant;
23 WHEREAS, on February 14, 1870, Utah school teacher, Seraph Young, voted in a
24 municipal election under equal suffrage laws and is credited with being the first woman to vote
25 in an election in any state or territory now part of the United States of America;
26 WHEREAS, Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on June 4,
27 1920, guaranteeing American women the right to vote, which was ratified on August 18, 1920;
28 WHEREAS, Carrie Chapman Catt, a suffragist and founder of the League of Women
29 Voters (League), led the state-by-state strategy that resulted in the 19th Amendment's passage;
30 WHEREAS, Carrie Chapman Catt spoke at the Conference of Women Voters held in
31 the Salt Lake Tabernacle on November 17, 1919;
32 WHEREAS, the Conference was sponsored by the Utah State Suffrage Council, then
33 presided over by Utah feminists, Emmeline B. Wells, Emily S. Richards, and others;
34 WHEREAS, the League was formed 100 years ago on February 14, 1920;
35 WHEREAS, the League is a civic group, originally formed to help women take a larger
36 role in public affairs after they won the right to vote;
37 WHEREAS, the League has grown to include all citizens, encouraging informed and
38 active participation in government, working to increase understanding of major public policy
39 issues, and influencing public policy through education and advocacy;
40 WHEREAS, the League is proud to be nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing
41 candidates or political parties at any level of government, but always working on vital issues of
42 concern to members and the public;
43 WHEREAS, some of the League's more notable activities include:
44 • in 1945, consulting the U.S. delegation at the United Nations Charter Conference,
45 expressing support for the UN, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund;
46 • in 1957, establishing the League of Women Voters Education Fund to encourage the
47 active and informed participation of citizens in government and increase understanding of
48 major public policy issues;
49 • in 1969, being one of the first organizations calling for the United States to normalize
50 relations with China;
51 • in the 1970s, developing national positions on water, air, waste management, land use,
52 and energy;
53 • in 1974, amending its national bylaws to allow men to become full voting members;
54 • in 1976, sponsoring the first televised presidential debates;
55 • in 1982, contributing to the passage of the Voting Rights Act Amendments;
56 • in 1983, adopting a position on reproductive choice;
57 • in 1988, helping to achieve Senate ratification of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces
58 Treaty;
59 • in the early 1990s, leading a national coalition and concerting considerable effort in
60 support of the National Voter Registration Act;
61 • leading up to their enactments in 2002, supporting the Help America Vote Act and the
62 Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act; and
63 • in 2011, launching "Power the Vote," a campaign opposing measures to restrict access
64 to voting that affect minorities, elderly, students, and rural voters;
65 WHEREAS, the League operates at the local, state, and national level, with over 700
66 local and 50 state leagues; and
67 WHEREAS, the League has grown over the last 100 years to become a recognized
68 force in encouraging informed and active participation in government:
69 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
70 Governor concurring therein, recognizes the League of Women Voters as an important civic
71 organization working for the welfare of all Utahns.
72 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature recognizes the long history of civic
73 engagement by the organization and its intent to pursue this work for the next 100 years.
74 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature commemorates the League's
75 centennial on February 14, 2020.