Nevada was granted statehood, in part, to cast a deciding vote for the Union during the upheaval of the Civil War. What about the rest of the history of voting in the state? Join us for a discussion about the history of democracy and how voting rights have expanded over time, here in Nevada and across the nation.

We will be in conversation with author and national journalist Erin Geiger Smith and Nevada historian Dr. Michael Green. Moderated by Dr. Todd Felts, Teaching Associate Professor of Public Relations & Advertising at the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Erin Geiger Smith is a journalist and the author of Thank You for Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth About Voting in America, and Thank you for Voting Young Readers' Edition.

Michael Green is an associate professor of history at UNLV. He is the author of several books about the Civil War era, including the forthcoming Lincoln and Native Americans, and numerous books about Nevada, including Nevada: A History of the Silver State, published in 2015.

Erin Geiger Smith is the author of Thank You for Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth About Voting in America. Available for purchase at Sundance Books and Music and The Writer’s Block.

This event is funded by the “Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation” initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Learn more