Women's suffrage proclamation, Oregon 1912



Proclamation

State of Oregon—Executive Department,

Salem, Oregon, November 30, 1912

Whereas: The women of Oregon, after long and patient effort, have persuaded the men of the State to place them upon a footing of political equality by granting to them the right of suffrage through an amendment to Section 2 of Article 11 of the Constitution of the State; and, Whereas: Pursuant to the provisions of law, the Secretary of State of the State of Oregon in the presence of the Governor of the State of Oregon, did on the 29th day of November 1912 canvass the official election returns for the general election held in the State of Oregon on Tuesday, the fifth day of November, 1912; and, Whereas: It appears from the said official canvass that the following measure has been approved by a majority of the electors of the State of Oregon who voted therein: "Section 2 of Article 11" of the Constitution of the State of Oregon shall be and hereby is amended to read as follows:

"Section 2. In all elections not otherwise provided for by this Constitution, every citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, who shall have resided in the State during the six months immediately preceding such election, and every person of foreign birth of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, who shall have resided in the State during the six months immediately preceding such election, and shall have declared his or her intention to become a citizen of the United States one year preceding such election, conformably to the laws of the United States on the subject of naturalization, shall be entitled to vote at all elections authorized by law."

And Whereas: The above quoted amendment, at the mentioned election received 61,265 affirmative and 57,104 negative votes. Now, therefore, I, Oswald West, Governor of the State of Oregon, by virtue of the authority, in me vested, and in obedience to the provisions of Section 9 of Chapter 226 of the General Laws of Oregon for the year 1907, do hereby make and issue this proclamation to the people of the State of Oregon, and vowing that the said amendment to "Section 2" of Article 11 of the Constitution of Oregon, is now, and hereafter shall be, in full force and effect as a part and portion of the Organic Law of the State of Oregon.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the Seal of the State of Oregon to be hereunto affixed this 30th day of November 1912.

OSWALD WEST,

Governor.

Attest: BEN W. OLCOTT,

Secretary of State.

The above is transcribed by Abigail Scott Duniway in her 79th year.