It would be unfortunate if we as a nation missed out this month on celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the Woman Suffrage Amendment.

With all of the COVID-19 news, the ongoing civil unrest and another nasty presidential election, it would not be a surprise if this monumentally important time in American history is ignored.

Let us hope that the victory for women voters is not overlooked because we have taken the right to vote for granted.

In our weekend edition, we ran a series of articles provided by the North Dakota Newspaper Association in partnership with the North Dakota Woman Suffrage Centennial Committee. It was all very interesting information and we wish we could have printed the series in its entirety, but space did not allow. Still we are very appreciative of the NDNA and the Committee for enlightening us all.

One of the more important points in the series came in the lead article written by Dr. Barbara Handy-Marchello.

“We celebrate today the expansion of citizenship privileges in 1920, with a clear understanding it was not the final piece in building our democracy. The process continued throughout the twentieth century and the debates over voting rights and access continue today.”

Boy do they ever. Voting by mail. Redistricting. Picking a president by popular vote vs. electors. These are all hot-button issues of our time and each an extension of the principal that every person should have the right to vote.

Let’s not make the mistake of taking these issues lightly.