"A Taste of Politics: Women's Suffrage in New Jersey 1776 to 1807"

Although the New Jersey constitution theoretically opened up voting to many more people, in practice it did not dramatically alter voting patterns.^Note The most likely reason for this was the atmosphere of the polls. Voting typically took place in taverns where there were many wild, drunken men.^Note Election officials were apt to be very partisan^Note and the voting places were often moved to locations that favored different factions.^Note The polls would remain open indefinitely to insure that all of the votes were cast for a given faction.^Note Candidates offered money and liquor bribes to voters.^Note The vote was usually taken "viva voce" and open pressure was commonly exerted.^Note Where secret ballots were used, false ballots were cast.^Note

The New Jersey Congress passed a law in 1790 to change these corrupt practices and create consistency. Voting was to take place in townships instead of counties to make the polls more accessible to voters.^Note The length of time that the polls could be kept open was regulated.^Note Candidates were forbidden to offer bribes to the voters.^Note The secret ballot was encouraged^Note and "Weapons of War, Staves, or Bludgeons" were banned from the polls.^Note Furthermore, there was a penalty against those who " '...use any threats, that . . . put any of the candidates or voters in fear of personal danger.' "^Note

Besides creating a safer atmosphere to conduct voting, the most important change with regard to women's suffrage was a clause that strengthened and clarified their right to vote. While the bill was being drafted, Joseph Cooper, a representative from Gloucester County and a member of the committee in charge of the bill, pushed the issue by urging the committee to clarify and strengthen the terms to include women voters.^Note Cooper was a West Jersey Quaker who was a long-time proponent of female participation in government. At his urging, the committee changed the wording of the bill to refer to the voters as "he or she."^Note The bill passed in the assembly with only three opposing votes.^Note After the introduction of this law, there are records of women voting in the annual elections. In 1797, another bill was passed to create a uniform system of voting throughout the state.^Note While it was being debated throughout the Assembly and the Council, no question or debate was raised about women's suffrage.^Note In fact, the legislators made it very clear that this bill included both women and men.^Note

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