Baltimore County among locations to host Smithsonian exhibition on voting, democracy

Maryland Humanities, a nonprofit that creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities, has chosen five organizations, including the Baltimore County Historical Society, to host its traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition, “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.”

The exhibition aims to be a springboard for discussions about the freedoms and responsibilities of citizens and who has the right to vote. It will feature contemporary and historical photographs, archival video and historical objects, such as campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia and protest material.

Each site will host the exhibition for six weeks and develop a complementary exhibit highlighting the heritage and history of their community. The Baltimore County Historical Society showcase is being held in conjunction with the Community College of Baltimore County in Dundalk, located at 7200 Sollers Point Road.

“In addition to learning more about our country’s voting history, we’re looking forward to exploring the voting rights history of five diverse Maryland regions where our host sites are located,” said Lindsey Baker, executive director of Maryland Humanities in a news release.

“We see the impact the lack of voting access has on many Americans today and can better understand current civil rights movements by looking at our history.”

The other sites chosen were: the Queen Anne’s County Historical Society in Centreville; Allegany Museum in Cumberland; Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture in Salisbury and the Sandy Spring Museum.

The tour will run next April through January 2022, beginning at the Allegany Museum and ending with the exhibition in Baltimore County.