The Defiant Board of Registration
When the Supreme Court of Washington Territory ruled against women’s suffrage in 1887, Seattle officials openly revolted, ordering women to register for the upcoming city election anyway.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The City Board of Registration has committed an act without precedent and without justification. In defiance of the decision of the Supreme Court of the territory, and in defiance of a decision of the Chief Justice delivered scarcely a week ago, they decided to place the names of women upon the registration list. In a circular issued by order of the Board, they make this remarkable statement: 'The Board of Registration today decided that women are legal voters, and can register for the city election to be held on Monday.' Such a hold-up suspension of power as this was never heard of. The Board of Registration of the City of Seattle presumes to nullify a decision of the Supreme Court. Into the consideration of this act, the question of woman suffrage does not enter. It is purely a question of law or insurrection. The Supreme Court declared the woman suffrage law to be null and void. The Chief Justice decided in a case brought before him as a test case that women were not entitled to registration. In spite of all this, however, the Board of Registration decided that women can vote, and ordered the Clerk of the Board to place the names upon the registration list.
“Such a hold-up suspension of power as this was never heard of. The Board of Registration of the City of Seattle presumes to nullify a decision of the Supreme Court.”
This 1887 showdown captures a moment when local officials weaponized the registration process to bypass judicial rulings—a precursor to the intense civic and constitutional battles that still define Seattle's relationship with state-level governance. The 'defiance' of the Board highlights how quickly administrative procedures become sites of political warfare, then and now.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.