After the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote, many obstacles still prevented significant numbers of women—and other marginalized groups—from exercising that right. Some of these barriers included:
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Jim Crow Laws: In many Southern states, discriminatory practices such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and understanding clauses effectively disenfranchised Black voters, including Black women, despite their formal legal right to vote.
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Economic Barriers: Many women and marginalized individuals faced economic hardships that made it difficult for them to take time off to vote or travel to polling places, especially since the political and logistical infrastructure often did not accommodate their needs.
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Social and Cultural Norms: Societal attitudes toward women's roles often discouraged or outright opposed women's participation in politics. There were still strong societal norms that expected women to focus on home and family rather than public and political life.
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Intimidation and Violence: In many areas, particularly in the South, there were threats of violence and intimidation against those who tried to vote, particularly Black voters and their allies.
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Limited Access to Voting Locations: Many women and minorities lived in areas where polling places were not easily accessible or where they faced long travel distances to vote.
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Lack of Information: There was often little education around the voting process, rights, and the importance of voting, which contributed to low turnout.
These factors combined meant that even after women gained the legal right to vote, significant hurdles remained that kept many people from participating fully in the electoral process.