Who Votes In Utah? She Does!

"Utah women played an important role in the expansion of voting rights in our country. Utah women voted for the first time in 1870, 50 years before many other women across the country could do so. On February 14, 1870, Seraph Young made history when she cast her ballot in a Salt Lake City election and became the first woman in the country to vote under an equal suffrage law. Utah women like Emmeline Wells, Elizabeth Taylor, Lucy Heppler, and Martha Hughes Cannon continued to advocate for women’s equality after 1870. When Utah women’s voting rights were taken away, they fought to have those rights restored with statehood in 1896. They also continued to work for greater equality for all Utah women and men into the 20th century.

Local nonprofit Better Days has high-quality resources for K-12 students and learners of all ages about Utah women’s advocacy. These tools help build students’ literacy and critical analysis skills and inspire civic engagement. Our website www.utahwomenshistory.org includes an expanding library of Utah core-aligned lesson plans, short biographies of Utah women with illustrations by Brooke Smart, an interactive timeline and activities, links to videos and virtual field trips, read-aloud options, and much more! 

Better Days shares stories of women’s leadership in Utah history through education, events, and public art. We know that exploring the legacy of our past makes Utah a better place for the future. When kids (and adults) learn about women who made a difference in our state, they’re more likely to see themselves as changemakers. They’re also more likely to support women’s and girls’ political and professional involvement."

"For most of the first 100 years that Utah was a part of the United States, women had the highest voter turnout in the nation. But since 1992, women’s participation in voting has plummeted in Utah. 

At Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG), we believe that encouraging women’s voices in the public sphere is one of the best ways to increase equality. MWEG is working to increase voter engagement among women in the state through a campaign to help them become informed and principled voters. We encourage women to learn the complexities of various political issues and find candidates that, regardless of party, approach government according to principles and ethics. Women can be confident that they are educated and informed about what is on the ballot.

MWEG also provides opportunities for women to learn the best ways to influence others, peacefully persuading and activating their own friends and acquaintances to become principled voters, assist in “get out the vote” efforts, and to work as poll workers to help facilitate the voting experience for others. And it isn’t just their neighbors they impact — policy research shows that lifelong voting habits are set in childhood. If we see our parents vote and democratic participation is part of our family identity, we are much more likely to vote as adults. So often when women vote, they are having an impact well into the future. 

Women have tremendous untapped political power in Utah and MWEG educates and empowers women to use that power through voting, advocacy, and running for office themselves. Know Your Vote, Grow Your Vote "

FOR KIDS:

• Arthur Get out the Vote Campaign: https://pbskids.org/video/arthur/3047980775
• How Grown Ups Vote: https://pbskids.org/video/daniel-tigers-neighborhood/2293113895

FOR PARENTS:

• PBS KIDS for Parents “Let’s Vote” landing page: https://www.pbs.org/parents/lets-vote

FOR TEACHERS:

• PBS Learning Media Election Collection: https://utah.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/election-collection/