Driving the Vote for Equality

Road trip!

In 1916, suffragettes Alice Snitjer Burke and Nell Richardson drove across the country in support of women’s right to vote. They were behind the wheel of a small 1914 car made by Saxon, one of more than 100 Detroit auto companies.

Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin were the first states to ratify the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919.

Flash forward 110 years, and there’s another road trip making its way across the country in support of voting rights.

Driving the Vote for Equality aims to boost the Equal Rights Amendment, a long-stalled effort to add a range of explicit gender protections to the Constitution. 

Organizers say the amendment is needed to stop voting rights from being rolled back, curb Trump administration attacks on gender equality and allow for new state and federal laws and policies that would ensure equal rights on account of sex.

Attendees of Wednesday’s event can check out the 1914 car and trace the journey from suffragette fights to more recent ERA struggles.

Speakers will include former U.S. Rep Carolyn Maloney; state legislative leaders such as Sen. Sarah Anthony and Rep. Julie Brixie; and Jeryl Schriever, author of “Driving the Vote for Women” and co-owner of the Saxon car.