New Zealand First Allowing Women to Vote 1893

With the signing of the Electoral Bill by Governor Lord Glasgow, New Zealand becomes the first country in the world to grant national voting rights to women. The bill was the outcome of years of suffragette meetings in towns and cities across the country, with women often traveling considerable distances to hear lectures and speeches, pass resolutions, andsign petitions. New Zealand women first went to the polls in the national elections of November 1893.