Florida Ratifies the 19th Amendment, May 13, 1969

Ella Chamberlain organized Florida’s first suffrage organization in 1893, but her Florida Woman Suffrage Association only lasted for about 4 years. The movement restarted in 1912 and the Florida Equal Suffrage Association and Florida Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs advocated for voting rights. The movement was smaller than other states, but suffragists campaigned locally for suffrage and lobbied legislators for the vote. For the most part, Florida politicians remained anti-suffrage. Like the other southern states, Floridians supported states rights and did not want a federal amendment changing voting regulations within their state. They also feared the 19^th Amendment would expand voting to more African Americans, something that most southern states were restricting. Neither of Florida’s US Senators voted in favor of the 19^th Amendment when it passed Congress. Congress sent the 19^th Amendment to the states for ratification at the end of Florida’s legislative session. Suffragists traveled to Tallahassee to urge legislators to vote on the amendment before the session ended but found that there was very little support for suffrage among the politicians. The legislative session ended before the 19^th Amendment could be discussed and since there was very little support for suffrage Governor Sidney Catts did not call a special session for ratification. As a result, Florida did not vote on the 19^th Amendment during the 1919-1920 ratification process. Florida symbolically ratified the 19^th Amendment on May 13, 1969.

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