Women win the vote
- When
- 19 September 1893
- Where
- Wellington · Te Whanganui-a-Tara
- Reach
- Nationwide
New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world where women could vote in national elections. Kate Sheppard’s third petition carried nearly 32,000 signatures.
The campaign ran through the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and took three petitions across three years, the last of them pasted into a roll more than 270 metres long and unrolled down the floor of the House. The Electoral Act passed the Legislative Council by two votes and Governor Glasgow signed it on 19 September. Women voted ten weeks later at a turnout of over 80 percent. Standing for Parliament remained illegal until 1919, and the first woman MP was not elected until 1933.
Regions affected
Sources
Written for this project from these references rather than copied from them. Follow a link to check the account against the original.
Related
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