As men and women voters do not use separate boxes and as initials are often employed by both sexes in registration, election officials invariably reply to queries as to the number of women actually voting in their respective states, that positive figures are not obtainable.  Yet the testimony, while lacking definite statement, is overwhelming that women in all lands vote in about the same proportion as men.  Women in Illinois, not being possessed of complete suffrage rights, have voted in separate boxes, and figures are therefore obtainable.  The report from the City of Chicago for 1916 as submitted by the Chief Clerk of the Board of Election Commissioners is as follows: 

Registration
Men             Women            Total
504,674          303,801          808,475

Votes cast Nov 7
Men Women Total
487,210—­96.5% 289,444—­95.2% 776,654—­96%

Votes cast—­democratic
Men             Women            Total
217,328          133,847          351,175

Votes cast—­republican
Men             Women            Total
235,328          141,533          377,201

Progressive and socialist
48,278

Although New York City is nearly two and a half times as large as Chicago, the registration of the latter exceeded that of New York by 69,307.

The following is quoted from an official statement issued by the California Civic League on what the women of California have done with the vote: 

“There has been some attempt on the part of those opposed to women voting to make it appear that in San Francisco particularly, women were slow to register and loth to vote.  The fact is always suppressed that there are never less than 132 men to every 100 women in the city and that women therefore should properly be only forty-three per cent. of the total number of voting adults.  At the last mayoralty election the women unquestionably re-elected the incumbent as against Eugene Schmitz of graft-prosecution fame, who tried to ’come back.’  In this election women constituted thirty-seven per cent. of the total registered vote and the women of the best residence districts voted in the proportion of forty-two to forty-four per cent. of the total vote cast in those precincts; while in the downtown, tenderloin and dance-hall districts women constituted only twenty-seven per cent. of the registration and negligible portion of the vote.  These proportions have been substantially maintained in minor elections since, and were slightly increased in the National election of November, 1916, when they comprised thirty-nine per cent. of the registration and voted within two per cent. as heavily as men.”

From no state comes the report that women have not used their vote.  The evidence that they do use it has been so largely distributed through the press, that more definite proof seems unnecessary, even were it possible to secure it.  The following bits of testimony taken from press reports are of interest: