Rock the Vote Like Your Granddaddy Did

Krentz/Krintz Family Voters in White County, Indiana 1889-1931
(click to enlarge)

The voting records in this chart are those of my great-grandfather, Michael Krenz, and members of his family. They're sorted alphabetically, first by surname spelling and then by given name spelling. This list shows ten family members registered a total of 32 times during the years 1889-1931. On close examination, you'll see that the spelling of voters' names was pretty inconsistent.

Augusta (Mrs. Emil/Amel) Krintz, the only woman on this list, registered June 27, 1920. The women's suffrage amendment to the U.S. Constitution wasn't ratified until August 26 of that year, so I wondered whether Indiana had, like some other states, already given women the right to vote.

In fact, Indiana women had begun to fight for the right to vote almost seventy years earlier. I found a very interesting summary of their suffrage history in The History of Indiana Law (p. 180-184) by David J. Bodenhamer and Randall T. Shepard. Although this book is still under copyright (c. 2006), you will find the pages in question online at Google Books. The bottom line is that Indiana ratified their suffrage amendment on January 16, 1920, several months ahead of the U.S. Constitution amendment, but the history of their struggle is concise, readable, and worth a few minutes of your time on this very important election day. Read it, and then go make some American history... vote!