In the aftermath of the Lindsay Clancy mistrial, some conservatives had called for the repeal of the Nineteenth Amendment, which would prohibit women from voting and thus serving on juries (since potential jurors are selected from voter registration records).
Such a measure is unlikely to occur, since it would alienate women throughout the country, especially conservative women. And if the Nineteenth Amendment were repealed, not only would women be prohibited from voting and serving on juries, but would women be discouraged (if not forbidden) from running for office, not to mention being involved in politics?
There have been female candidates prior to the Nineteenth Amendment. One particular candidate was Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood, who ran for president in 1884 and 1888 on the ticket of the Equal Rights Party, with Marietta Stow as her running mate in 1884 and Alfred H. Love in 1888 (although Love withdrew from the race and was replaced by Charles S. Welles). Her first attempt got her over 4,000 votes (less than 1% of the popular vote) and no electoral votes. The second attempt for the presidency apparently resulted in less votes.
In 1872, Victoria Claflin Woodhull attempted to run for President. However, she was blocked from doing so since she was only 33 years old.
I remember attending a public meeting hosted by my local Tea Party around fifteen years ago, in which I met an elderly woman who believed that women should not be allowed to vote, even though she voted. She also believed that only people who owned property should be allowed to vote. In regards to the latter, the ownership of property requirement for voting was implemented by the states and not the federal government. Eventually, each state did away with that requirement.
There are those who also believe that the ownership of property requirement for voting should be brought back. But like repealing the Nineteenth Amendment (which requires a two-thirds approval of both houses of Congress or two-thirds application of the states and ratification of three-fourths of those states’ legislatures), such a measure is easier said than done. And of course, either measure would result in a major backlash among the public, and would give those who accuse conservatives of being prejudiced ammo for their argument.
It should be noted that Wyoming (one of the most conservative states in the country) was the first state to allow women to vote.
It should be noted that voting is not a right, it is a privilege, and can be revoked (e.g. being convicted of a felony) as well as being restored at the state level.
Thus, repealing the Nineteenth Amendment would probably be a lost cause, as would be bringing back ownership of property. In addition, the women who chose to acquit Lindsay Clancy had nothing to do with the fact that both they and the defendant were women. Instead, it is likely these women were liberals. Hopefully, justice will prevail in this case.
In the meantime, conservatives need to focus on the mid-term elections.
