In 2020, Indiana will commemorate 100 years of women’s right to vote.
A new law authored by Republican State Representative Sharon Negele establishes the Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission to lead efforts in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
“I feel honored that the women before me worked so hard to make this happen and that I’m able to be in the position I’m in today. I can imagine in their lifetime how difficult that was to imagine, and they of course wanted to see that dream come true, and I get to live it,” Negele says.
The 19th Amendment was adopted in August of 1920, prohibiting state and federal governments from denying women the right to vote.
Indiana was the 26th state to ratify the amendment during a special session on January 16, 1920.
State Representative Christy Stutzman of Middlebury co-authored the Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission law.
“What it’s going to do is raise awareness for women around the state of what it took to earn the right to vote in America, so I’m excited to be a part of it,” Stutzman explains.
She says its important to recognize the determination of those who changed history.
