You make your decision. You
walk across the schoolground to where Del Preston is standing alone. He looks
up and frowns as you approach.
"Hello," you say, "I'd like to vote for Cleveland." Preston's eyes light up, and a broad smile works across his face. He pats you on the back as he hands you a Democrat ticket, which is colored bright yellow.
"Thanks, son. Vote for Grover and be in the clover!"
You turn and begin the walk towards the schoolhouse. As you do, you can feel some of the nearby men staring at you and pointing. Your bright yellow ticket stands out in your hands like a diamond in a mud puddle. You are sure the word about your choice is spreading around the schoolground as you step into the schoolhouse and up to the ballot box. You drop your ticket in and look up to see Will Eckhart, the mayor, smile and nod at you.
"Thanks for voting, Nat." His words are affable, still, you can see a questioning look in his eyes as he watches the yellow slip slide in. Turning to avoid his gaze, you walk out into the yard, where immediately you feel several more pairs of eyes turn to look at you. Among the crowd you see your father, looking straight at you with a frown. Taking a cup of cider from a nearby table, you sit down under a tree and reflect on your choice. You're glad you voted Democrat. You've made your choice and you stand by it, and you're glad you had the courage to speak your mind! You take a sip of cider and smile. You won't be cowed by the rest of these sheep, voting Republican every four years out of habit! Still, what you've just done won't make you any more popular. You can still see several men giving you sideways glances as they talk. No doubt they're talking about you and your heretical choice. You stretch out and can feel yourself getting more relaxed. The tree is giving you plenty of shade. The cider is cool and tart, and you take another sip of it. Yes, they'll be talking about you for a while, and they'll be asking why you did it. But you're comfortable with your choice, and confident that, when they do ask you, you'll be able to give them a good answer.
The End
In all, 260,990 Hoosiers voted for Grover Cleveland in the 1888 election. Your vote is the 260,991st. Sadly, though, your vote isn't enough to carry the election, or even the state. Historically, Cleveland lost Indiana by only 2,348 votes, and the overall presidential election by 65 electoral votes. The narrow Republican win in Indiana was highly unexpected: the Democrats managed to rally in the last few months of the election and won several urban votes to close the gap. Incidentally, the bribing by the Republican party depicted here actually did occur, especially in New York and Indiana, two key states. When it was revealed, shortly after Harrison was declared the winner, there was widespread controversy and cries of protest surrounding the corruption of the Harrison administration. Even though it is unlikely that Harrison had any prior knowledge of the bribery, his reputation was still tarnished, and he lost his 1892 bid for reelection to Cleveland, who became the first (and to this date, only) president ever to serve two non-consecutive terms. Congratulations of standing up for your beliefs and making the hard choice to vote the Democrat ticket! Wait four years and you'll be able to see your party victorious once again, and Grover Cleveland back in office! Thanks for taking the time to cast your vote!