Amendments
Amendment XIX
Constitution of the United States
Official text
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Passed by Congress June 4, 1919. Ratified August 18, 1920.
In plain English
Neither the federal government nor any state may deny or abridge a citizen's right to vote because of sex. Congress may enforce this by appropriate legislation. Ratified in August 1920 after more than seventy years of organized effort; Tennessee's legislature cast the deciding 36th ratification vote. Several western states had already given women the vote, including Colorado by popular vote in 1893.
Plain-English summary drafted by Christian Vote USA; editor review pending. Always read the official text above.
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Learn more
- Voting in Tennessee (Your Rights and Duties in Tennessee)
- Voting in Colorado (Your Rights and Duties in Colorado)
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