Voting Rights Museum Opens in El Paso

The Project XV Museum, built inside David Strother's former barbershop, opened with special Election Day hours.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Elections

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The Project XV Museum, a voting rights museum named for the 15th Amendment, opened in El Paso, Illinois, with hours from noon to 4 p.m. on Election Day. It is housed in the former barbershop of David Strother, who voted on April 4, 1870, as the first African American to vote in Illinois after the amendment.

Why it matters

The museum preserves a local link to the history of Black voting rights in Illinois and gives residents a place to learn about the voting process and gerrymandering. Its opening on Election Day puts that history in front of voters as they cast ballots.

David Strother voted on April 4, 1870, becoming the first African American to vote in Illinois after the 15th Amendment. The museum's Election Day hours run from noon to 4 p.m., and the extraction does not give its regular schedule.

The players

David Strother

Strother was a Black barber in El Paso, Illinois, who became the first African American to vote in the state after the 15th Amendment was ratified.

Blessed Fulton Sheen

Sheen was a Catholic archbishop and broadcaster born in El Paso, Illinois, whose life is featured in the museum's exhibits.

The details

Ground-penetrating radar confirmed gravesites of Strother's wife, brother and mother in September. The museum has exhibits on gerrymandering and the voting process, and features information on Blessed Fulton Sheen, who was born in El Paso.

- April 4, 1870: David Strother votes, becoming the first African American to vote in Illinois after the 15th Amendment.
- September 2026: Ground-penetrating radar confirms gravesites of Strother's relatives.
- November 3, 2026: The Project XV Museum opens with special Election Day hours, noon to 4 p.m.

Seasonal Patterns

The museum's opening is tied to the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870, which Strother was among the first Illinois African Americans to exercise after it took effect. It places a local voting milestone alongside the national history of Black enfranchisement that followed the amendment.

Residents can visit the Project XV Museum on Election Day from noon to 4 p.m., and on the weekend and Monday hours the extraction lists. The museum's exhibits on gerrymandering and the voting process give visitors context for the ballots they cast.

The takeaway

The museum shows how a single local vote can anchor a broader history of voting rights, and visiting one's own polling place is a direct way to take part in that history.