If you cast a ballot in Tuesday’s primaries, you likely got a sticker with an American flag on it that said, “I Voted.”
At a time when the country seems so sharply divided over politics, the humble “I Voted” sticker brings us together. You get the same sticker no matter whose side you’re on.
The Vermont Secretary of State’s Office distributes these pro-democracy party favors that election workers hand out at the polls. According to education and civic engagement coordinator Robyn Palmer, “All voters seem to really enjoy getting an ‘I Voted’ sticker. It’s kind of a badge of honor.”
But that badge is a little … generic. Each state gets its own license plates, state quarter and state flag. Why not have our own Vermont take on the election sticker?
To that end, the Secretary of State’s Office is holding a contest to design a new one; it’s open to kids in grades K through 8. “We had seen other states do similar contests and thought it would be a great way to get youth involved in the voting process,” Palmer explained.
The sticker competition is part of this summer’s Good Citizen Challenge, Seven Days‘ nonpartisan youth civics project. The Challenge offers 25 activities that elementary and middle school students can do to learn about and get involved in their communities. Designing a new, circular “I Voted” sticker is activity No. 1.
While the deadline to enter isn’t until Labor Day, September 2, we’ve already received more than 50 entries from kids in cities and towns across the state. Their creativity and enthusiasm could make even a cynical nonvoter swear never to miss another election.
There are some similarities among the entries: Not surprisingly, stars, stripes, and a red-white-and-blue palette are popular. Check marks, too. To convey their excitement, many kids also added exclamation points to “I Voted” — sometimes more than one. A hopeful sign for democracy!
Some artists enlisted cute creatures to sell suffrage — a friendly brown dog woofs encouragement in Burlington resident Grace Gillman’s design. Ruthie Frietze, also of Burlington, conjured Champ on hers.
Other artists used the sticker to make statements. The words “I Voted” appear in five different languages around Cambridge resident Charlotte Krueger’s design, representing different cultures within the state. And numerous submissions include a peace sign.
Elianna Venables-Vogel of Ferrisburgh got creative with typography: “If you look closely at the words, you will see a check box where the I is,” she wrote in her entry.
A panel of judges — including a member of the Seven Days design team — will review the submissions and choose a winner. The Secretary of State’s Office will make the top design available at the polls in the winner’s town on Election Day — another reason to turn out on November 5.
Read the contest rules, and submit sticker designs, at goodcitizenvt.com. And check out some of the other activities, including finding your polling place and watching candidate forums and debates. Every activity kids complete gives them another entry in the drawing for the grand prize — a free trip to visit the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.
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This article appears in Aug 14-20, 2024.
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