A historic suffrage-era vehicle arrived in Los Angeles on Monday as part of a national tour aimed at promoting voting rights and the Equal Rights Amendment.
A 1914 Saxon roadster — similar to the car used by two women during a 1916 cross-country campaign for voting rights — was featured during a noon media event at Gloria Molina Grand Park, where local and national leaders spoke.
Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and ERA NOW founder Carolyn Maloney were among those to appear, along with other advocates for voting rights and gender equality.
The stop is part of the Driving the Vote for Equality Tour, a nationwide effort visiting 25 states to highlight what organizers describe as the unfinished work of securing full constitutional equality for women through the Equal Rights Amendment.
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Jeryl Schriever, author and owner of a historic suffrage-era vehicle, a 1914 Saxon roadster — similar to the car used by two women during a 1916 cross-country campaign for voting rights — speaks in Los Angeles as part of the Driving the Vote for Equality Tour promoting voting rights and the Equal Rights Amendment, at Gloria Molina Grand Park on Monday May 4, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
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Jeryl Schriever, author and owner of a historic suffrage-era vehicle, a 1914 Saxon roadster — similar to the car used by two women during a 1916 cross-country campaign for voting rights — speaks in Los Angeles as part of the Driving the Vote for Equality Tour promoting voting rights and the Equal Rights Amendment, at Gloria Molina Grand Park on Monday May 4, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
“Thirty-eight states have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, fulfilling every constitutional requirement,” organizers said in a statement. “ERA NOW and other supporters are pushing Congress for a Joint Resolution to recognize the ERA as the 28th Amendment, thus eliminating any uncertainties about an arbitrary time limit.”
Organizers said the tour also aims to draw connections between the early 20th century suffrage movement and current efforts to protect and expand voting rights.
The effort is inspired by a 1916 journey by suffragists Alice Burke and Nell Richardson, who drove more than 10,500 miles across the country to advocate for women’s voting rights at a time when a federal amendment had stalled.
During that trip, the pair stopped in Los Angeles in June 1916, where local newspapers documented their arrival at City Hall as part of their campaign.
More than a century later, advocates say the Equal Rights Amendment has met the constitutional threshold for ratification but has not been formally recognized, prompting renewed calls for congressional action.
Organizers said they are working to gather one million signatures through a national petition campaign ahead of the 2026 election.
The tour launched in New York City earlier this year and is promoting its petition drive through the website https://www.sign4era.org/.
The historic vehicle is also scheduled to travel through parts of Los Angeles, including Beverly Hills, as part of the tour’s local events.
