Women’s suffrage was about much more than women walking into voting booths and casting ballots.  For many people, women voting would bring a fundamental shift in an already changing world and promised to have tremendous repercussions, both positive and negative.  In 1918-19, Louisiana Senator Edward J. Gay had to decide whether to vote for or against the federal women’s suffrage bill. Gay’s constituents in Louisiana as well as people in other states sent him letters, petitions, flyers, and essays, trying to sway his opinion on the suffrage issue.

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What is the media’s role in local and national elections? How do we see through sensationalism and find trustworthy sources of information? Jennings Daily News Editor Allison Cryer will lead a community discussion giving us the tools we need to get down to the facts - tools that let us confidently decide for ourselves how to cast our vote.

All Voices & Votes events will be held at the NEW Jeff Davis Arts & Technology Center at 137 N. Main St. in Jennings.

The Smithsonian is coming to town! Voices & Votes is a traveling exhibit that examines and honors the history of American Democracy and the hard-won right to vote. Join us for a special grand opening reception at 6PM on June 9th to officially welcome this piece of history to our area. There will be a soft opening on June 6th.

“Voices and Votes” explores the action, reaction, vision and revision that democracy demands as Americans continue to question how to shape the country. From the revolution and suffrage, to civil rights and casting ballots, everyone in every community is part of this ever-evolving story—the story of democracy in America. Exhibition sections explore the origins of American democracy, the struggles to obtain and keep the vote, the machinery of democracy, the right to petition and protest beyond the ballot and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. “Voices and Votes” features historical and contemporary photos; educational and archival video; engaging multimedia interactives with short games; and historical objects like campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia, and protest material.

What is disenfranchisement? How do we make our vote count? Why are we still talking about voting rights? We will explore all of these questions and more over the next nine weeks, through a series of discussions with scholars and local leaders.

Voices and Votes was brought to us by the Smithsonian Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. Museum on Main Street (MoMS) is a Smithsonian outreach program that engages small town audiences and brings revitalized attention to underserved rural communities. We partner with state humanities councils to bring traveling exhibitions, educational resources and programming to small towns across America through their own local museums, historical societies and other cultural venues.

The grand opening and all Voices & Votes programs will be held at the NEW Jeff Davis Arts & Technology Center at 137 N. Main St. in Jennings.