Utah Senate suspends rules to honor 150 years of women—s suffrage; students attend commemoration

The Utah Senate on Feb. 14 read and unanimously passed House Joint Resolution 12 commemorating the 150th anniversary of Utah—s 1870 suffrage law.

Senator Henderson, who led the floor presentation, described the historical arc: the territorial legislature—s unanimous passage of the suffrage law, the Feb. 1870 municipal election in which 25 women voted, and leaders such as Emeline B. Wells and Martha Hughes Cannon who advanced women—s political participation. Henderson noted Utah women later regained voting rights in the 1896 state constitution after federal revocation and emphasized the legacy of trailblazers who expanded political participation.

The senator also noted that the chamber hosted a large number of visiting students as part of the commemoration: "We have over 2,000 school kids here from 15 different school districts and 40 different schools with us here to celebrate Utah's history in the women's suffrage movement." After a motion to suspend the rules, the Senate read HJR12 for the second and third time and approved it on a roll call vote, 29 yea, 0 nay, 0 absent. The resolution will be signed by the president and returned to the House.

Sponsor and floor remarks emphasized the educational intent of events tied to the resolution and thanked community partners involved in planning and outreach. The Senate recessed for lunch after concluding floor business.