1973 was the second calendar year during which the Equal Rights Amendment was up for ratification. In 1973, eight states ratified the amendment. The states that ratified the ERA during 1973 were:
- Connecticut
- Minnesota
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wyoming
The ERA was sent to the fifty states for ratification when the Senate voted yes on the amendment on March 22, 1972. Twenty-two states ratified the ERA during 1972. Legislatures in the abovementioned eight states voted their approval during the next year, 1973, but all eight had ratified by March 22, 1973. Therefore, the first “two years” of state ratifications, totaling thirty states, all came within one year’s time, a 365-day period.
After 1973, the pace of ratification slowed significantly. Three states ratified in 1974, one in 1975, none in 1976 and one – the final state to ratify – in 1977. Despite a deadline extension, the total remained at 35 states. Because it was not ratified by 38 out of 50, the ERA has not yet become part of the Constitution.