Suzanne Stout: Women’s Right To Vote & Representation

To the Editor,

I have been lamenting the fact that women have the bare minimum of representation in Oswego County, the City of Fulton, where I reside, or the City of Oswego, where I’ve worked and often frequent. As a woman, female representation is sadly lacking.

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was signed giving women the right to vote. In recent elections, statistics show that more women vote than men. In the 2016 elections, 63.3 percent of women voted as opposed to 59.3 percent of men nationally. Since 1996, an average of 3-4 percent more women voted than men and those statistics generally coincide with local and state numbers. Women do not take their right to vote for granted since the suffragette movement was hard won with imprisonment, degradation, physical violence, abuse and years of determination.

However, the fight goes on for equal representation in all areas of government. In all parties in Oswego County, out of 25 legislators, only four are women. In the City of Oswego, there is only one woman out of seven Common Council members, and the City of Fulton has one woman out of 6 Common Council members. Research shows that in Oswego County, there are 26 department/administrative offices, there are nine female heads. There is only one female out of 10 judges.

Women in Oswego County are loathe to run as evidenced by many incidents of humiliation, unfair treatment by opponents, and the staunch, archaic beliefs of “the old guard.” What’s needed is a new, younger generation of women, (and men) to bring us into progressive, systemic, and technological advancements. This has not been happening with the “good old boys” network of governing. Reelected men have become a slow-moving staple.

If women’s votes are to count, then we must vote for candidates who represent us, our families, our communities and move away from old and obsolete standards. There are 12 women running for County Legislators and 46 women running for other local positions. Local elections are the backbone of progress so please remember the following dates and vote for the qualified women of your choice.

Get to know your candidates personally at the Suffragette Celebration and help support women who are ready to move ahead and make change happen. Meet them in person by helping us celebrate The 101 Women’s Suffragette Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, August 21, from 4-7 at Breitbeck Park. Entertainment includes Lisa Romano, Amanda Rogers, Ashley Cox, Lisa Gentile, and Tamaralee Shutt. A donation of $20 would help support women candidates in our community.

Please remember the following dates and vote your convictions:

GENERAL Election, November 2, 2021

New Registration Postmarked October 8
New Registration Received in Mail October 13
New Registration in Person October 8
Adddress Change October 13
_____________________________________________
Application Postmarked October 18
Apply/Vote in Person November 1
Postmarked Ballot November 2
Ballot received in mail November 9
Vote in Person November 2

Mail-in ballots must be requested this year and are subject to the above deadlines. Applications can be obtained online at Oswego Board of Elections (www.oswegocounty.com/government/board_of_elections/) or in person at the Board of Elections Office, 185 E Seneca Street, Oswego, NY.

-Suzanne Stout

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