Voices and Votes On Display

Voices and Votes: Democracy in America

The Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program is bringing the traveling exhibition Voices and Votes: Democracy in America to Elmira. This inspiring exhibition explores the nearly 250-year-old American experiment of a government “of, by and for the people,” and how generations have worked to shape “a more perfect union.” From the Revolution and suffrage, to civil rights and casting ballots, Voices and Votes tells the powerful story of democracy through photographs, artifacts, videos, and interactive experiences. Visitors can reflect on the origins of American democracy, the struggles to obtain and keep the vote, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Voices and Votes will be on view at the Chemung Valley History Museum beginning October 3, 2025 and leaving November 15, 2025. Admission is open to the public, and special programs and events will complement the exhibition throughout its run.

This exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the Museum Association of New York, and local host sites like ours.