Sorry! Although it's possible for women to vote in local elections or even hold certain offices in other states, women in 1888 Indiana cannot vote at all! If you're willing to be patient, Indiana will ratify the 19th Amendment, granting universal suffrage, in 1920.

 

However, if you'd like to try to do something about your situation now, you could always join a local suffrage movement. If you do, though, don't expect it to be a popular decision. This is the height of Victorian ideals, and many of your friends (and their husbands) subscribe to the old-fashioned belief that a woman's place is in the home. Lots of your fellow citizens hold that women are virtuous creatures, who should keep their mind occupied on pretty and peaceful things, not on worldly things like election and work. As the current president, Grover Cleveland, once said: "Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote." Many of your friends even think that a married woman who wishes to work or vote is defeminizing herself, and wishes to become a man! Just the other day, you saw this cartoon in an Indianapolis newspaper:

Clearly, you are at something of a disadvantage. However, there is still some hope for a suffragette. The Indiana General Assembly has been allowing suffrage meetings to convene in their chambers ever since the 1870's, so you can see the movement is not entirely unsupported. If you're interested, you could attend one of those meetings. Or, if you're very interested, you could attend next year's National Assembly of the National American Women's Suffrage Association!