My Suffragette Grandmother - Jennifer Prestholdt - Open Salon

11.2.12

My Suffragette Grandmother - Jennifer Prestholdt - Open Salon: In some ways, it is surprising to think that less than 100 years ago, women in America could not vote. I was a toddler in Louisiana when that state ratified the 19th Amendment in 1970 - 50 years after initially rejecting it. Mississippi didn't ratify the 19th Amendment until 1984! Now the right to participate in government is one that we Americans take for granted - so much so that less than half of the population votes unless it is a Presidential election year. In 2008, the voter turnout was 63%, a high water mark that is low in comparison with most countries. In U.S. local elections, the voter turnout is even lower. Many of the mayors of major U.S. cities are elected with single-digit turnout.

I love to vote. I always try to bring my kids with me when I vote, so they can see that having a voice in the democratic process is something both important and valuable. When I'm standing in the voting booth, I feel my Grandma Lillian and Great-great-grandmother Thorina are there with me. But there are also others with me - everyone I've ever met who risked everything to secure their right to participate in government.