Governor signs bill sponsored by May to erect a monument honoring suffragettes

STATEHOUSE – Governor Eric Holcomb signed a bill into law sponsored by State Rep. Chris May (R-Bedford) to erect a Statehouse monument honoring Hoosier suffragettes.

Group of Young Women
A group of Auburn suffragists in the early 1910s.
Image: Suffragists in Auburn, Indiana. Indiana Historical Society.

May said Senate Enrolled Act 6 extends the Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission’s work to 2024 as they create a Statehouse monument honoring the 19th Amendment. May co-authored the 2019 law creating the commission, which was tasked with commemorating the 100 year milestone of women’s right to vote in Indiana, but the group was set to expire this year.

State Rep. Chris May

“Hoosiers are continuously inspired by the influential women from our state’s history,” May said. “Placing a monument at the Statehouse is fitting of our efforts to honor suffragettes who contributed so much to our state and for women across the nation.”

Indiana was the 26th state to ratify the 19th Amendment during a special session on Jan. 16, 1920.

Senate Enrolled Act 6 requires the monument to be installed on the grounds of the Statehouse before Jan. 1, 2024. Visit iga.in.gov to learn more.

State Rep. Chris May (R-Bedford) represents House District 65, which includes all of Brown County, most of Lawrence County, and parts of Monroe, Jackson, and Johnson counties.