Constitution
Amendment 19: Women's Right to Vote
Text from National Archives. Explanation last updated September 29, 2026. How we check this
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In plain English
The Nineteenth Amendment says the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex, and gives Congress power to enforce it.
It was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920, ending more than seventy years of organized campaigning for woman suffrage.
The text
As printed by the source cited at the end of this page, with its original spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Explained section by section
The prohibition on sex-based denial
The amendment uses the same structure as the Fifteenth: the vote may not be denied or abridged “on account of sex.” It did not create a general right to vote or address other barriers. Many Black women in the South, and Native American women who were not yet citizens or were blocked by state rules, continued to face other obstacles.
Enforcement
The second sentence gives Congress power to enforce the article by appropriate legislation, following the pattern of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments.
Context and current status
The campaign for women’s suffrage is often dated from the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Wyoming Territory allowed women to vote in 1869, and several states extended the vote before the national amendment.
Ratification was completed when Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state to approve on August 18, 1920. Current textual status: in force.
Terms to know
- Suffrage
- The right to vote.
- Ratification
- Approval of a proposed amendment by three fourths of the states, as Article V requires.
Common misconceptions
“The Nineteenth Amendment gave all women equal access to the ballot in 1920.”
It removed sex as a legal ground for denial. Many women of color still faced literacy tests, poll taxes and other barriers that later laws and amendments addressed.
How it connects
Links to related provisions and documents, with the reason each one matters here.
- Amendment 15Voting Rights Regardless of RaceThe Fifteenth Amendment’s wording on race is the model for the Nineteenth Amendment’s wording on sex.
- Article VArticle V of the United States ConstitutionArticle V explains how the amendment was proposed by Congress and ratified by three fourths of the states.
- Amendment 26Voting Age of EighteenThe Twenty-Sixth Amendment is another example of voter qualifications widened by amendment.
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Sources and corrections
- Text: National Archives. Checked against the source on September 29, 2026.National Archives transcription of the engrossed Constitution, with original spelling and capitalization. The signature block and the Convention's interlineation note are not reproduced.
- Amendments 11-27: A Transcription — National Archives
- 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote (1920) — National Archives
Educational material, not legal advice. Spotted a mistake? Tell us; corrections change this page’s update date.