This election season, the University of Georgia Libraries invites voters to learn more about the efforts over the past century to ensure their right to cast ballots. 
The Russell Library for Political Research and Studies presents the exhibit Precious, Almost Sacred: Voting Rights in America, on display at the UGA Special Collections Libraries.
The name of the exhibit draws upon a quote from Civil Rights leader and late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, as the display takes viewers through the historic efforts of voting rights advocates over the past two centuries. It marks achievements from the first steps to allow Black men to cast ballots after the Civil War, through the suffragist movement a century ago to give women the right to vote, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to ban racial discrimination at the polls.
The exhibit features photos, pamphlets, newspaper reports, letters, and more from the Russell Library archives to illustrate the expansion of voter access in Georgia, such as the advent of absentee voting to allow soldiers to mail ballots from war zones. In addition, visitors can explore the modernization of voting technology through decommissioned equipment on display, from 1930s lever-operated voting machines to the electronic voting systems of the 21st century.
“Over the past century, voting has evolved from a privilege for a select few to a fundamental right for all,” said Russell Library Director Sheryl Vogt. “The ballot is the essential building block of our democratic form of government. There is no better lens with which to scrutinize the evolution of our representative democracy over the past century than voting rights.”
Later this fall, the Russell Library will host a 2024 Election Recap. Scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, the event will include journalists and scholars discussing the election outcome and potential implications for Georgia and the nation.
The panel features Patricia Murphy and Greg Bluestein, reporters for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, along with UGA professor Trey Hood and Oklahoma State University professor Seth McKee. UGA professor Joe Watson and Texas Christian University professor Keith Gaddie will serve as moderators, and UGA’s Charles Bullock will share concluding remarks.
The free event is part of the Russell Library’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Precious, Almost Sacred: Voting Rights in America will remain on display until May 2025. Galleries are open to visitors for free at the UGA Special Collections Building from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with extended evening hours until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information or to schedule a tour, visit libs.uga.edu/scl.