“In Relation to the Rights of Suffrage”: The 1911 Amendment for Women’s Voting Rights in California

Many local associations were founded during this time as a way for women – and men – to collaborate, organize, and advocate for women’s suffrage in California. The California Equal Suffrage Association was founded in 1870 and incorporated as a state-registered organization in 1904.

When the organization was founded, it was originally named the California Woman Suffrage Association. In 1896, the organization rebranded as the California Equal Suffrage Association. The name change was an effort to use more inclusive language in the hopes that it would encourage men to join the organization. The group rallied for women’s suffrage by distributing literature and through events they held. The endurance of the California Equal Suffrage Association demonstrates that many Californians remained deeply committed to women’s political rights decades before legal enfranchisement.