Sue Engelhardt, president of the League of Women Voters of Northeastern North Carolina, will lecture on voting rights as the United States enters another presidential election year. Reviewing our voting history by remembering where we started is as important as understanding our current voting landscape. Both aspects affect how we empower the future voter. Defending democracy has been the role of many who have come before us and is no less critical today. Voters still face barriers, and we need to combat misinformation and disinformation.
This lecture will provide guests with a lead into the upcoming traveling exhibit Who Can Vote? A Brief History of Voting Rights in the United States, scheduled to open Tuesday, June 4. The exhibit examines voting rights, focusing on the role of the US Constitution and the interplay between the states and federal government in determining who is allowed to vote. From the founding era to the election of 2000, this exhibition explores the complex history of the right to vote that forms the core of our nation's democracy.