While the federal amendment was pending, the Texas legislature passed a bill to amend the state constitution and give women full suffrage. Unfortunately, a rider attached to the Texas woman suffrage bill almost guaranteed its defeat. That rider required that every foreign-born man had to be fully naturalized before he could vote. Ironically, since this was a special, not a primary, election women could not vote; aliens who stood to lose the ballot, were free to vote. The amendment was defeated at the polls in May 1919.

The final push for congressional passage of the federal suffrage amendment was taking place in Washington in 1919. On the final vote both Texas Senators and 10 of the 18 Texas House members supported the amendment. The amendment passed and was sent to the states for ratification. In June 1919, the Texas legislature became the first in the South to ratify the federal suffrage amendment.