Susan B. Anthony

In September of 1877, Susan B. Anthony, accustomed to packing auditoriums in her drive for women’s suffrage, held court outdoors under the pines of Lake City in Hinsdale County, Colorado – the crowd was too large for any indoor venues. She was mustering support for a referendum on women’s suffrage, but even her formidable presence did not save the day – the referendum was defeated by nearly a two-to-one ratio a month later. Rev. Thomas Bliss described them as “bawling, ranting women, bristling for their rights.”

Despite those inauspicious beginnings, Colorado made its mark as only the second state to grant women’s suffrage, and the first to do so by referendum, nearly 30 years before the 19th Amendment was ratified, bringing voting rights to all American women.

Eliza Tupper Wilkes

The Colorado movement began in force as the nation celebrated its centennial in 1876. The first suffrage convention took place that January, eight months before Colorado joined the union as the 38th state (and the reason it is now called the Centennial State). The Territorial Women’s Suffrage Society was organized at that convention at Unity Church in Denver, and soon was renamed the Women’s Suffrage Association of Colorado. Speakers included Eliza Tupper Wilkes, a Unitarian Universalist minister from Colorado Springs.

John Routt, Colorado’s last territorial governor and first state governor, was a supporter of women’s suffrage, but the new state constitution only granted women voting rights in school elections and the right to hold school offices. When Routt took a second term of office in 1891, he and his wife, Eliza, continued their push for suffrage.

Eliza Routt

Other leaders in the campaign included Rocky Mountain News columnists Ellis Meredith and Minnie J. Reynolds, novelist Patience Stapleton, Dr. Ethel Strasser of Grand Junction, Dr. Anna Chamberlain of Colorado Springs, and Dr. Jessie Hartwell of Salida. Legendary socialite Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor contributed by lending office space.

Shorty after Routt left office in 1893, the state’s men voted again and this time granted women full voting rights, passing the measure by 6,000 votes. Eliza became the first woman to register to vote in Colorado.

Although most newspapers supported suffrage, there was opposition, particularly by saloon owners and brewers, who feared anti-alcohol measures if women had rights. They weren’t wrong. Women were at the forefront of the temperance movement, and by 1907, individual counties were permitted to prohibit the sale of alcohol. In 1916, the entire state went dry, predating the 18th Amendment and nationwide prohibition by three years.

Today, Colorado is known as one of the easiest states to vote in, with registration available online and voting available by mail and in person. Citizens can register online and voting is available in person, at ballot drop boxes and by mail. In 2020, the state further encouraged voting among young people through the Colorado Campus Voting Challenge, which encouraged friendly competition among Colorado two-year and four-year colleges to increase registration and voter turnout.