Washington was the fifth state in the Union and the first state in the 20th century to give women the right to vote. It followed a series of Western states, including Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming that had already granted women a political voice.

Why were Washington and the West more successful in winning the vote than the Eastern states?

Five reasons:

  • The West had a long tradition of women performing roles that were considered "masculine," due to the realities of homesteading on the frontier.
  • Several native peoples were matriarchal. Women in tribal positions of power were fairly common in this region.
  • Euro-American women were often seen as "civilizers," founding churches, schools, and other key cornerstones of new communities. This often led to women possessing leadership roles in small towns.
  • Some early western states may have enacted suffrage to try to draw settlers.
  • In some cases, it was believed that women’s votes would counteract the votes of enfranchised African Americans who had moved westward.