Washington -- The U.S. House unanimously approved Representative Barbara Cubin’s (R-WY) resolution supporting the designation of September 6th as Louisa Swain Day.  On September 6, 1870, Louisa Swain cast a ballot in Laramie, Wyoming making her the first woman voter in the United States.

“Louisa Swain is truly a heroine in not only the state of Wyoming, but throughout the nation.  Her vote was representative of far more than the ballot she cast.  It served as inspiration to the women’s suffrage movement and to the cause of civil rights,” Representative Cubin stated.
 
Wyoming, the Equality State, was the first state in the Union to allow women to vote. In fact, before Wyoming was even a state, its Territorial Legislature passed a law giving every woman 21 years old the right to vote.  The issue of women’s suffrage was one that Wyoming held dear to her heart as the territory applied for statehood.  In fact, even after threats that our great state would not be admitted into the Union, the Territory legislators replied that Wyoming would remain out of the Union 100 years rather than join without women’s suffrage.

Said Cubin, “As the first woman elected to federal office from the state of Wyoming, it was a great honor to see this legislation pass.  I was pleased to see the House recognize the first woman with full voting rights to cast a ballot in the United States.  It is my hope that Louisa Swain Day will remind citizens throughout the nation of the significant contributions made by the Equality State to secure women’s suffrage in our nation.”