WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a Senate resolution recognizing the leading role of Utahns in the fight for women’s suffrage and celebrating the sesquicentennial of the first votes by women under the equal suffrage law of Utah on February 14, 1870. Congressman Bishop (R-UT) introduced a companion resolution in the House of Representatives that is being cosponsored by the other members of the Utah delegation.

“Utah led the charge in the women’s suffrage movement by granting women the right to vote nearly 50 years before the rest of the country, and Utah was the first place where women cast ballots,” Senator Romney said. “With this resolution we recognize the leadership of the women’s suffrage movement in Utah and the right of every American citizen to vote.”

“Utah has a proud but largely unknown history of being a leader in the women’s suffrage movement,” Senator Lee said. “Heroes like Martha Maria Hughes Cannon, first woman elected to a state legislature, deserve to have their stories shared more widely so they can inspire future generations to reach their potential.”

Text of the resolution can be found here.