Utah marks 150 years of women’s suffrage

A woman portraying Seraph Young speaks to students at the Utah State Capitol about suffrage, Salt Lake City, Utah, Feb. 12, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Fox13Now, St. George News

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Legislature honored trailblazing women who fought for equality and the right to vote.

Wednesday marked 150 years since Utah women first voted, ahead of the rest of the nation. The House and Senate unanimously passed House Joint Resolution 12, commemorating women’s suffrage in Utah.

“It’s exciting for Utah and it’s frustrating to me, personally, that this is not recognized nationally,” said Sen. Deidre Henderson, R-Spanish Fork.

One reason why? Utah’s history of polygamy.

Congress granted women in the territory the vote, Sen. Henderson said, expecting they would ban polygamy. Except they didn’t.

“Utah women weren’t voting the way Congress thought that they should,” she told reporters. “So they repealed that right to vote.”

Read the full story here:  Fox13Now.com

Written by REPORTER, Fox13Now.com

Copyright 2019, KSTU. A Tribune broadcasting station

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