Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Olson was the youngest of the women at an event marking 100 years since the 19th Amendment and Women’s Equality Day. Olson joined the League of Women voters on the corner of Center and Broadway.

NEW ULM — The League of Women Voters (LWV) in New Ulm commemorated the 100th anniversary of women securing the right to vote with the 19th Amendment and Women’s Equality Day.

The 19th Amendment was passed on Aug. 18, 1920, and Women’s Equality Day is Aug. 26.

A group of league members gathered at Center and Broadway with signs marking the dual occasion. Several of the women were dressed in suffragist costumes. The modern suffragettes ranged in age from 16 to 72.

Sue Kimmel said the event was to commemorate the occasion and all the suffragettes that made the vote for women possible. The group was calling it a commemoration instead of a celebration because even with the passage of the 19th Amendment, many people of color are still disenfranchised in the United States. The league wanted to remember the occasion but understood the 19th Amendment did not give everyone the vote.

The commemoration was also an opportunity to support voting in 2020 by reminding people to register.

“LWV feels strongly about the right to a fair vote,” Kimmel said. “We encourage everyone to register.”

Many of the league members were holding up signs asking people to vote or “honk if you’re registered to vote.”

The busy intersection did experience a lot of happy honking.

League President Ruth Ann Webster said the city was fortunate to have an active LWV. The organization works hard to encourage the vote and holds candidate forums before elections.

One hundred years after women received the right to vote, the LWV continues to work for voting rights. The state league is working to restore voting rights for convicted felons. Webster said it is easy for a person to lose voting rights because of a felony charge. Extended probation can further disenfranchise voters.

The LWV continues to look for new members. The annual kickoff membership meeting is 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 125 S. Broadway.