League of Women Voters encouraging voter participation in 2020 election

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - We are almost two months away from the November 2020 presidential election and one organization is out trying to encourage South Georgians to vote.

When the 19th Amendment was ratified 100 years ago, women in Georgia were finally allowed to vote. But that wasn’t for lack of trying.

Georgia was the first state to reject the 19th Amendment in 1919. Since then, the state has come under scrutiny multiple times for using what are often seen as voter suppression techniques, such as exact match.

Today, the League of Women Voters is encouraging all women to participate in the November election to honor the work that was put in by women 100 years ago.

WTOC spoke with Georgia Southern University Associate Professor of History Dr. Felicity Turner about the journey women took to get the right to vote. She says women, particularly minority women, worked tirelessly to win the right to vote.

“The reason that women should be inspired to vote this November, particularly in Georgia, is because that right was so hard to win. Georgia has had a lot of obstacles in the place of enabling women to exercise that right. Particularly African American women. And it took many, many years and decades even for all women to win the right to vote in Georgia,” Dr. Turner said.

For any voter that wants to participate in the November election but is worried about making it to the polls, you can go ahead and apply for an absentee ballot by mail, online, or by phone. Click here for more information.

Georgians can start voting early in-person 21 days before Election Day.

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