While Tennessee was the 36th and final state to
ratify the 19th Amendment in August 1920, Lawrenceburg was ahead of the curve. The Lawrence Democrat—the predecessor to today's The Democrat-Union, the county paper since 1884—was a champion of many early-20th century progressive causes, and its editors consistently supported giving women the right to vote. The first time a woman voted in Lawrenceburg was on May 13, 1919; many prominent society women went to the polls together that afternoon. Overall, The Democrat reported that 161 women, both Black and white, participated in that first mixed-sex municipal election in 1919.