On Aug. 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was certified and for the first time in U.S. history, all American women had the right to vote. Unfortunately, 95 years later many Americans, including many among the 54 percent of potential voters who are women, don’t bother voting.

Compared to other western democracies, the United States has an alarmingly low rate of voter participation. Too many Americans remain uninformed about the political, social and economic issues that affect their lives. Our lives are influenced every day by the laws passed by our local and national legislatures and by legal decisions made by our court system. A political discourse that should be informed but respectful, has instead too often turned into bitter and vitriolic partisan shouting, backed up by misinformation, sound-bite propaganda, half-truths and outright lies.

What a sad commentary on the status of our democracy and what an insult to the founding of this nation with its living Constitution that has enabled us to march forward with changes that have brought equal rights and liberty to all Americans. That is the promise of America; that it can expand liberty and equality for all and that we all have a stake in moving forward to make the country better.

The struggle for the women’s right to vote was a massive marathon that began before the Civil War. During our early history, women were denied some of the key rights enjoyed by male citizens. Married women could not own property and had no legal claim to any money they might earn. They had no right to the custody of their own children and did not have the right to vote.

In 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York. They campaigned for better opportunities for women in education and employment and for the right to vote.

The movement lost momentum with the onset of the Civil War. The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution after the war gave black men the right to vote, but failed to extend the same privilege to American women of any skin color.

In 1869, Susan B. Anthony and Stanton formed the National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA) with a goal toward passage of a federal constitutional amendment that would grant women the vote. Efforts were also underway to gain the right to vote by amending individual state constitutions. Before 1920, several states granted women the vote, but the struggle continued for a national amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

By the turn of the 20th century, new leaders like Carrie Chapman Catt and Alice Paul continued the fight. They faced continued opposition, even violent resistance. In 1913, protestors thronged a massive suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. and hundreds of women were injured. Until President Woodrow Wilson switched his stand, numerous pickets and protests at the White House led to arrests, jail time and violent mistreatment of suffragettes in jail.

Finally, on May 21, 1919, the Susan B. Anthony Amendment granting women the right to vote was passed in the House and Senate by the two-thirds majority vote required. On Aug. 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th and final state needed for the two-thirds of the states’ ratification. On Aug. 26, 1920, the U.S. Secretary of State certified the amendment.

On Nov. 2, 1920, more than 8 million women across the U.S. voted in elections for the first time.

Now we are entering a crucial period with the 2016 presidential election. The direction of the country is at stake, in terms of economic, social, health, environmental, criminal justice and foreign policy. The make up of the Supreme Court is crucial and could be transformed in the next few years. How it changes will depend on who becomes president and who controls the U.S. Senate.

Sadly, the right of all Americans to vote is still under challenge today. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 that advanced and protected voting for black Americans has been partially gutted by the Supreme Court. Many states are passing anti-voter laws that cut back early voting, same-day registration, pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, and other provisions. These laws disproportionately discriminate against certain classes of people. Many face court challenges, but with no certainty of resolution in time for the 2016 elections.

Although American women have slowly increased their ranks as national and state leaders, America remains among the few democracies that have not elected a woman to highest office. Isn’t it time for us to take our place with Australia, Israel, Brazil, Germany, Canada, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, Thailand and dozens of other countries by finally electing a woman president?

Let us protect the vote, take time to vote, and in so doing celebrate the 19th Amendment and honor those who fought so hard for it.

Sheila S. Horvitz is an attorney and a member of the Connecticut Federation of Democratic Women. She lives in Colchester.