Deal and Smyre discuss democracy for Voices and Votes

SMITHSONIAN EXHIBIT
  • Eatonton First Lady Janie Reid, wife of Mayor John Reid, shared a moment with former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal at the conclusion of Saturday night’s “Voices and Votes” discussion in the meeting room of the Putnam County Annex.
    Eatonton First Lady Janie Reid, wife of Mayor John Reid, shared a moment with former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal at the conclusion of Saturday night’s “Voices and Votes” discussion in the meeting room of the Putnam County Annex.
  • Former state legislator Calvin Smyre, who earned the title, “Dean of the House,” after initially being elected in 1974 as a 26-year-old, gestures to the audience while making a point about the importance of preserving democracy in government.
    Former state legislator Calvin Smyre, who earned the title, “Dean of the House,” after initially being elected in 1974 as a 26-year-old, gestures to the audience while making a point about the importance of preserving democracy in government.

    The month-long Smithsonian exhibit on American democracy, “Voices and Votes,” that opened Saturday morning at the Putnam County Annex building, served as the backdrop that evening for a wide-ranging and candid discussion on the state of the nation’s political system.

    Hosted locally in conjunction with Georgia Humanities, the program brought together former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and longtime …