in the s many women across minnesota organized local womens suffrage groups in  the minnesota legislature recognized womens right to vote in school board elections however many women wanted to vote in all elections seeing the need for a statewide agency fourteen women formed the mwsa in hastings in  the minnesota chapter was affiliated with the national american woman suffrage association nawsa among the founders of the mwsa were harriet bishop and sarah burger stearns stearns became the organizations first president by  the mwsa had grown to two hundred members in  mwsa-president martha ripley convinced nawsa to hold their annual meeting in minnesota this national event demonstrated the importance of the minnesota chapter to the larger organization it also drew the attention of minnesotas male lawmakers