CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Resolution
No. 58

Introduced by Senator Blakespear
(Coauthors: Senators Caballero, Cervantes, Dahle, Durazo, Hurtado, Ochoa Bogh, P rez, Rubio, and Smallwood-Cuevas)

July 17, 2025

Relative to the anniversary of the 19th Amendment.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SR 58, as introduced, Blakespear.
WHEREAS, August 18, 2025, marks the 105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which legally guaranteed American women the right to vote; and
WHEREAS, The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, marked a pivotal moment in history by dramatically changing voter demographics and adding millions of women to the electorate; and
WHEREAS, The women’s suffrage movement evolved from nearly a century’s worth of tireless advocacy and perseverance by abolitionists and suffragettes such as Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and countless others; and
WHEREAS, California acted as a trailblazer becoming the sixth state in the nation to approve women’s suffrage in 1911, nearly a decade before the federal amendment; and
WHEREAS, Despite this historic achievement, many women were denied their voting rights due to poll taxes, literacy tests, lack of accessible polling places, and other forms of voter suppression that have persisted for decades; and
WHEREAS, Women of color and women with disabilities were not guaranteed their right to vote until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and
WHEREAS, The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg regarded the 19th Amendment as the first step toward equal citizenship for women in the political and civil spheres of public life; and
WHEREAS, The 19th Amendment has ultimately increased political representation across the nation, including in California, where, for the first time in state history, women currently hold a majority of state legislative seats; and
WHEREAS, The anniversary of the 19th Amendment serves as an opportunity to reflect on its incredible legacy while acknowledging the ongoing struggle for voting rights and equal representation for all Americans; and
WHEREAS, The principles of equality and inclusion embodied in the 19th Amendment remain essential to achieving a truly representative democracy; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate commemorates the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment as a milestone in American history that expanded democratic participation and advanced gender equality; and be it further
Resolved,That the Senate honors the contributions of suffragists who fought for women’s voting rights while recognizing the need to address ongoing barriers to full civic participation; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.