The vote for women in Mexico was officially and definitively granted on October 17, 1953. On that day, President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines issued the corresponding decree to reform the Constitution and approve the female vote in federal elections.
But it was not until 1955 when women were able to realize that right to the national vote and until 1958 to participate in the election of a president.
Already in 1952, Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, as candidate of the National Action Party, had promised female suffrage. For this, in 1953 article 34 of the Constitution had to be changed and grant full citizenship and political rights to women.
Previously, women had participated in municipal elections since 1947, when, on December 6, 1946, the federal deputies approved the reform of article 115 of the Federal Political Constitution.
However, they still could not do so in national politics, since in those years they considered women to be "poorly prepared."
So, the then President of Mexico, Miguel Alemán, in an ordinary session of the Senate, proposed that only Article 115 be amended.
Previous attempts to approve the female vote in Mexico
Despite the fact that in Mexico the universal vote was late, with the incorporation of women, the female contribution in politics was always present.
There had already been a previous attempt to grant the female vote in 1937, when former President Lázaro Cárdenas personally insisted on reforming Article 34 of the Constitution. However, this was not enough and everything was on deaf ears.
Previously, with the First Feminist Congress, held in 1923, the State of Yucatán recognized both municipal and state votes for women, with three elected for deputies to the state congress: Elvia Carrillo Puerto, Raquel Dzib and Beatriz Peniche de Ponce.
A year later, the deputies had to leave their positions, when Governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto was assassinated.
Also in San Luis Potosí, women were given the right to vote and be elected in municipal elections in 1923, but this right was lost in 1926.
Tabasco and Chiapas had, in turn, an ephemeral attempt in 1925. This served so that in 1929, the newly founded National Revolutionary Party (PNR) admitted the possibility of voting.
In the Declaration of Principles, the PNR committed itself to helping and stimulating "gradually the access of Mexican women to the activities of civic life…".
Hermila Galindo: The pioneer
During the revolutionary era, Hermila Galindo was the greatest activist in favor of the female vote, who had long promoted the idea of education and the vote of women.
Thanks to being a recognized political figure, she was allowed to run as a candidate for deputy in 1918.
Although women in the district were not allowed to vote, she obtained the majority of votes. Despite this, the Electoral College would not recognize the feminist's victory.
Galindo knew that this injustice could happen, but he relied on the fact that article 34 of the 1917 Constitution had been drafted in a masculine generalization, which did not expressly prohibit the vote of women.
In this way, Hermila Galindo set the precedent to demonstrate the condition of injustice in the participation of women.
References
- Alonso, J. (2004). The right of women to vote. Journal of gender studies. The window, no. 19, pp. 152-158 University of Guadalajara Guadalajara, Mexico. Recovered from redalyc.org.
- Aguilar, N. (1995). The vote of women in Mexico. Bulletin, Organ of Dissemination of the Electoral Judicial Training Center. Year 1, N ° 2. Recovered from portal.te.gob.mx.
- Cano, G. (2014). Female suffrage in post-revolutionary Mexico. p. 33-46. The Revolution of women in Mexico. Recovered from gabrielacano.colmex.mx.
- Girón, A., González Marín, M. and Jiménez, A. Chapter 2: Brief history of the political participation of women in Mexico. Recovered from ru.iiec.unam.mx.
- Virgen, L. (2013). October 17, 1953 - Right to vote for women in Mexico. University of Guadalajara. Recovered from udg.mx.