Hanlon commemorates 100 years of women voting

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

FREEHOLD, NJ –Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is launching a year-long recognition program to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of women’s suffrage.

“Since my office oversees a large part of the elections process for Monmouth County, I am proud to launch a county-wide program to celebrate the brave suffragists and all those who contributed to women gaining the right to vote 100 years ago,” said Clerk Hanlon.

Throughout the year, the County Clerk’s Office is working to engage and educate people of all ages through a variety of events, programs, and media. To start off the centennial year, Clerk Hanlon distributed sample resolutions commemorating the centennial to the governing bodies of Monmouth County’s 53 municipalities and to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

“I encourage all of our governing bodies throughout the County and the State of New Jersey to utilize the sample resolution to highlight this historic milestone and the importance of women’s voting rights on or around February 9 which marks 100 years since the State of New Jersey ratified the 19^th Amendment, or August 26 which marks 100 years since the Amendment was officially ratified and became part of the United States Constitution,” said Hanlon.

In commemoration of New Jersey’s ratification of the 19^th Amendment on February 9, 1920, Clerk Hanlon will also host a “Pink Tea” event next month for all women elected officials in Monmouth County to gather, celebrate, and learn more about the women’s suffrage movement. Historically, “pink teas” provided a disguise of a frivolous social affair, but in reality, they were an opportunity for women, whose husbands, relatives, and peers did not want them engaging in politics, to meet and discuss their voting rights efforts.

The Monmouth County Clerk’s Office will continue to recognize the history of the centennial and the women’s suffrage movement on its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages with the sharing of flashbacks, historical information, key dates, and local events. Clerk Hanlon is encouraging all to use the hashtag #WomensVote100Monmouth, which the County Clerk’s Office developed to pertain to Monmouth County’s recognition of the centennial.

The County Clerk’s Office is also spreading information about the 100^th Anniversary of the 19^th Amendment through written media, including a commemorative booklet and bookmarks. These materials will be available in the near future at the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office and online at our website, MonmouthCountyVotes.com.

“The women’s suffrage movement involved tens of thousands of courageous women and men who fought for over seven decades for women to gain the right to vote,” said Hanlon. “It is imperative that we continue to teach our future generations about this historic campaign and inspire them to cherish and preserve the rights established by the 19^th Amendment.”

Additional programs will continue throughout the year. For more information about the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office 19^th Amendment Centennial Recognition Program, please visit our website at MonmouthCountyVotes.com and follow our official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Pages. For additional questions, please email [email protected], or call 732-431-7324, ext. 8735.

A copy of the sample resolution is below: