The Great Ballot Standoff of 1887
Defying court rulings and the city attorney, Seattle election officials boldly register 800 women to vote in a municipal election, sparking local outrage.
Disregarding the decision of the Supreme Court, disregarding the opinion of the Chief Justice of the Territory, and disregarding the advice of the City Attorney, the Board of Registration of Seattle have brought down and placed on the register the names of eight hundred women who were on the rolls prior to the court's decision that women are not electors, and have added thereto the names of eight more who presented themselves for registration yesterday. There may be women in this city who will see fit to take advantage of this high-handed and arbitrary action, but we devoutly trust for the honor of the city that they are not numerous. We feel assured that the honest women, however much they desire the suffrage, will denounce this piece of trickery, and that they will refuse outright to avail themselves of the right of voting when that right has been granted by an unscrupulous body, and in defiance of all law.
“We feel assured that the honest women, however much they desire the suffrage, will denounce this piece of trickery.”
This 1887 editorial captures the intense volatility surrounding women's suffrage in Washington Territory, where the legal status of female voters was constantly swinging. It mirrors today's ongoing legal and civic battles over voting access and the legitimacy of local administrative actions in Seattle.
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