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The 19th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the federal government and the states from denying citizens the right to vote based on sex.

1920

The year this amendment was ratified in.

What is a constitutional amendment?

A constitutional amendment alters the Constitution of the United States by striking or inserting new language. The Constitution establishes the structure, powers, and responsibilities of the federal government. It has been formally amended 27 times.

The constitutional amendment process is as follows:

Step 1

Two-thirds vote

An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures.

Step 2

Three-fourths ratification

Once proposed, the archivist of the United States submits the amendment to the states for consideration. It becomes part of the Constitution once it is ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Full text of the 19th Amendment

"Section 1. 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. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

When did the states ratify the 19th Amendment?

Congress proposed this amendment on June 5, 1919. Ratification was completed on August 28, 1920, when the 36th state, Tennessee, approved the amendment, with 48 states in the Union at the time. Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin were the first states to approve, five days after the amendment was proposed. Mississippi was the last state to approve, 23,700 days after the amendment was proposed.

Tennessee completed ratification of the 19th Amendment.

Date of ratification by state, 19th Amendment

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How have women's voting rates changed?

In 1968, 72.8% of women were registered to vote in the presidential election, compared to 76.0% of men. Voter turnout for women was 66%, compared to 69.8% for men. Men led both measures again in 1976 — the last presidential election where that happened. In 2024, 68.3% of women were registered, compared to 65.1% of men, and 61% of women voted, compared to 57.4% of men.

Women have out-registered and out-voted men in every presidential election since 1980

Percentage of the voting-age population who reported registering and voting in presidential elections, 1968-2024

Note: Rates show the share of the total voting-age population, including noncitizens, who reported voting. The Census Bureau does not publish rates by sex for the citizen voting-age population alone.

How has the 19th Amendment shaped Supreme Court rulings?

The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review, which is the authority to declare that federal or state government actions violate the Constitution. This power shows how individual amendments can have a lasting impact on how laws are interpreted and applied.

Under judicial review, there have been one case where the Court struck down laws as unconstitutional using the 19th Amendment.

Supreme Court cases invoking this amendment

Cases, 1798–2021

Supreme Court cases invoking this amendment
CaseYear

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.