The traveling exhibition examines 250 years of the American experiment, from protest and voting rights to the power of local voices
NEWS
Photos, featured in the smithsonian’s “Voices & Votes: Democracy in america:”
1. National Woman’s Party march for woman’s suffrage, Washington, D.C. February 14, 1917 Photograph. (gift of Alice Paul Centennial Foundation, National Museum of American History)
2. March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. (by Rowland Scherman, Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration)
3. Alison Turnbull Hopkins pickets the White House, 1917. (Courtesy of the National Woman’s Party at the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument)
4. “The First Vote,” drawn by A.R. Waud appeared in Harper’s Weekly, November 1867. (Courtesy of Library of Congress)
5. “A Woman Living Here Has Registered to Vote,” window sign for a home, 1919. (Courtesy of National Museum of American History
6. Local resident Anna Cash wears a handmade suffragist costume in October 2025 to champion voting rights and civic engagement (DEANN ARMES)
From now until Dec. 30, the Museums at Union Station are celebrating the American experiment with their new exhibit, “Voices & Votes: Democracy in America.” The exhibit is part of a nationally recognized traveling series from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program and celebrates the rights and responsibilities of citizens from voting to protesting to making voices heard.
The exhibit officially opened on Oct. 23 and will feature several free events throughout its run, including election office tours and presentations from the Shoshone Nation, League of Women Voters and Ogden’s NAACP chapter. Contributions from Weber State University Special Collections are also included.
“We’re bringing a lot of community partnerships with our exhibit. We didn’t want to tell just one perspective on history, we were looking to hear what our community wanted to say and how democracy has changed people’s lives here,” Hope Eggett, museum administrator, said.
Union Station is one stop on a nationwide tour for the Smithsonian exhibit, which includes campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia and protest material. Ogden’s stop not only coincides with Election Day, but also America’s 250th and Ogden’s 175th anniversaries.
One program will allow visitors to see what election night looks like for the Weber County election office, educating guests on how their vote is processed.
Each museum on the tour is challenged to create their own exhibit that showcases their own local history of democracy.
“Here in Ogden, we put on a local exhibit called, ‘Our City, Our Voice: Civic Engagement in Ogden,’ which focuses on how Ogdenites have reconsidered the fundamental questions of democracy – who gets to make choices in our community, how do we make our voices heard – over and over again for the last 175 years in our city,” Eggett said.
With 16 crates mailed from the Smithsonian, Eggett said her staff was tasked with planning how to set up the exhibit with their existing space. It was brought to Utah courtesy of the Utah Humanities, the state humanities council.
Eggett hopes that visitors come away with a bigger understanding of what democracy means.
“Engaged citizens shape history, and I hope people understand that being a citizen has rights and responsibilities and we all have a role to play in making our voice heard to build our city and our country into the place that we want to be,” Eggett said.
The opening night included a ribbon-cutting, welcoming remarks and games to get participants to brush off their debating skills. Debate topics included “What is the most American kind of food?” and “Who is the most important American?” The point of the exercise was to get visitors thinking about using their voice and speaking up.
The following events are all free to the public:
Nov. 3 - Election Office Tour and Watch Party at 2-3 p.m. | Weber County Election Office (2380 Washington Blvd., Suite 320, Ogden): Guests are invited to watch workers count Weber County’s votes in real time, with a presentation from County Clerk Ricky Hatch.
Nov. 18 - Indigenous Roots: Restoring the Bear River’s Ecosystem at 7-8:30 p.m.| Museums at Union Station: The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation presents the ancestral importance of Bear River as well as restoration efforts.
Dec. 10 - Who Voted in Ogden? At 7-8:30 p.m. | Museums at Union Station: Historians and members from NAACP and the League of Women Voters highlight stories of historical figures who used their voices to shape Ogden’s history.
Dec. 30 - Democracy Art Day: Action Badges & Postcards with the Utah Museum of Fine Arts at 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Museums at Union Station: Make buttons, postcards and stickers to share your own message to celebrate self-expression in democracy.
Access to the museum’s exhibit display is included with general museum admission.
“We’re very grateful about the Smithsonian and to Utah Humanities for making this exhibit come to happen in Ogden and I really hope that the community comes together to recognize this cool moment in history and reflect,” Eggett said.