Advance voters celebrate Suffrage Day
‘‘What’s pleasing is the number of women who know today is Suffrage Day.’’ Helen Chong, National Council of Women
A large throng of early voters queued to have their stay before the doors opened at a busy innercity polling booth on Suffrage Day.
Helen Chong, from the National Council of Women’s Manawatu¯ branch, said the lines at Palmerston North’s Te Manawa museum yesterday began before 10am.
Chong and branch president Janice Viles had set up a table in the Te Manawa foyer to commemorate Suffrage Day and were handing out balloons and congratulations to women as they left the polling station.
On September 19, 1893, thanks to campaigning from Kate Sheppard, Edith Grossman, Meri Mangaka¯ hia and others, New Zealand women were granted the right to vote in national elections by an all-male parliament, becoming the first country in the world to have universal suffrage.
Women took advantage of that right for the first time in the general election of November 28, 1893. ‘‘It was a huge step forward,’’ Chong said.
‘‘What’s pleasing is the number of women who know [yesterday] is Suffrage Day. It’s not necessarily the reason they are voting [yesterday], but they do know what day it is.’’
Rebecca Gommans knew all about the day’s significance. ‘‘I was going to vote on Saturday, but when I woke up [yesterday] morning I thought what a wonderful day to come down and vote.’’
Her friend Tracy Torok agreed. ‘‘We were having coffee together, talking about voting for our children’s future, representing our views and making them count. Why have an opinion if it doesn’t count?’’ Torok said.
Jill Spicer also voted yesterday. ‘‘It seemed like a really good idea to celebrate a right that was hard won and all too easily taken for granted.’’