Map Abstract of June 5, 1916, Vote for Woman Suffrage Constitutional Amendment in Iowa, 1916

On this 1916 map from Carrie Chapman Catt’s scrapbook created after the failed June 5th attempt to add a woman suffrage amendment to the Iowa constitution, suffragists plot out the margin of victory or loss by county as well as the twelve different alleged irregularities that may have occurred in the various counties that ultimately led to a statewide majority opposed to the amendment.

Courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, 1916

Description

This 1916 map from Carrie Chapman Catt’s scrapbook was created after the failed June 5, 1916, vote attempt to add a woman suffrage amendment to the Iowa constitution. Suffragists plotted out the margin of victory or loss by county. Their work also included the 12 different alleged irregularities that may have occurred in some counties that led to a statewide majority opposed to the amendment.

Transcript of Map Abstract of Vote for Woman Suffrage Constitutional Amendment

Source-Dependent Questions

Interpret the main features of the map: What is the difference between counties labeled with a yellow circle and counties labeled with a white circle? What does the + or - number mean? Why do some counties have colored tabs while others do not?
Which parts of Iowa do suffragists have the strongest support? Which parts do they have the least? How did your county vote?
Based on the evidence of the map how might suffragists explain Iowa’s denial of the addition of a woman suffrage amendment to the state constitution on June 5, 1916?
How might suffragists utilize this map and the data it contains to their advantage in their continued fight for the right to vote?