Today marks the 111th anniversary of a women's right to vote group in Dallas.
On March 13, 1913, at least 43 Dallas women gathered to establish the Dallas Equal Suffrage Association (D.E.S.A.) which became the League of Women Voters of Dallas in October 1919.
The group elected Margaret Bell Houston Kaufman, granddaughter of Sam Houston, as its first president.
During the 1918 Texas gubernatorial campaign, members of D.E.S.A. procured signatures of over 10,000 Dallas County women on a petition backing a primary suffrage bill.
The bill passed, enabling Texas women to vote in primary elections. Dallas County Suffragists then registered over 16,000 women to vote in the July 1918 Primary Election.
Today, the mission of the League of Women Voters of Dallas is to empower voters, defend democracy and protect the freedom to vote.
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