Many therefore chose to be absent from the house during votes. Henry Fish attempted to delay the proposed statute by calling for a national referendum,[56] but the Bill progressed to the Legislative Council. After several attempts to stymie passage failed, the legislation passed 20 votes to 18 on 8 September.[57] The Bill now needed the Governor's signature, and although Governor David Boyle did not support women's suffrage and was slow to sign, he eventually did so on 19 September, which granted women full voting rights.[58] Sheppard was widely acknowledged as the leader of the women's suffrage movement.[1][59]