It was the summer of 1920 and it was hot!  Well, the weather was hot but substantially up the Fahrenheit scale was an issue that had been dividing the United States since the first drop of ink had been placed on the parchment that would be called the Constitution of the United States.  And what was the issue that so divided the country? It was female suffrage, the right of women to vote in national elections. (Women had been voting in local elections across the country but that had been because some states allowed women to vote.  Other states – not so much.)  The 19^th Amendment had passed the United States Congress and now it was up to the states to ratify the measure. By August of 1920, 35 of the 48 states had approved the measure. The state that could tip the amendment was Tennessee but the straw vote in the legislature was an even tie 48-48. The official vote was set for August 18, 1920.

That night, the youngest man to have been elected to the Tennessee Legislature, Harry T. Burn, 24 years old, received a letter from his mother.  In part it read,

Dear Son:

Hurrah and vote for suffrage! Don’t keep them in doubt! I notice some of the speeches against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet. Don’t forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the “rat” in ratification.  [Mrs. Catt was Carrie Chapman Catt.]

The next day he switched his vote.

It broke the tie.

With Tennessee went the nation and the 19^th Amendment passed.

Far too often people believe that they only have “one vote” and that vote does not mean very much.  They are in error. In fact, they have made three errors at the same time. First, when you say you are not going to vote, you are subtly convincing other people that their votes do not count either. So, when you do not vote, five of your friends will believe it is OK for them not to vote. On the flipside of the argument, if you tell your friends you are going to vote, five of them will vote as well.  Second, many an election has been won by a single vote, particularly here in Alaska. Marge Johnson became Mayor of Cordova with one vote. If just one of her voters had been “too busy” to vote, someone else would have become Mayor.

Third, anyone can complain about what the government should be doing but if you don’t vote you HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMPLAIN. In the primary election in Alaska last month only 14% of eligible voters went to the polls.  That’s an embarrassment. That’s also why incumbents keep getting elected. Republicans and conservatives have a sterling record of voting. Liberals, minorities, the young, Progressives and students, should follow that example. GET YOURSELF TO THE POLLS.  Your vote COUNTS!  VOTE for the change we need in Alaska. When you vote, you get the right to complain.