We all love displaying our little white “I Voted” stickers after hitting the polls but sometimes you want to shake things up. Michigan is doing just that with nine new custom stickers taken from an “I Voted” sticker competition.
The designs come from the winners of the competition, who are students and residents of Michigan. Voters in the state might receive one of nine quirky stickers after they cast their votes. Clerks can order the designs for their polling places and hopefully, they all do so. If I showed up to vote in Michigan and only the regular old stickers were available, I’d be pretty pissed.
John Oliver dedicated a brief Last Week Tonight segment to the designs Sunday and made it clear he feels just as strongly about them—especially about one in particular. Seventh-grader Jane Hynous’ illustration featuring a sort of wolf-man ripping off his shirt and howling, “I VOTED,” got a special, well-deserved shout-out.
“Yes. Everything about that is perfect. The line work, the kinetic energy of the shirt being ripped off, the wolf’s head thrown back in patriotic ecstasy at the concept of democracy,” Oliver exclaimed. “I know this is not the point, but I would commit voter fraud to get multiples of that sticker.” Same.
If the wolf is too angsty for you, the Grey Tabby by Kelsey Winiarski from Livonia might be your best bet. As a cat lover, I’d go for it if I could. If neither cats nor wolves are your thing, maybe minimalism is. Gabby Warner from Rockford has her own ‘Yay, I Voted’ sticker, which is as minimalist as stickers can get. There’s a whole range of stickers you can choose from—it’s unfortunate that none of them can be permanent pins instead.
The winners of the ‘I Voted’ sticker competition
- Elementary and Middle School Category
- Jane Hynous from Grosse Pointe
- Gabby Warner from Rockford
- Katelyn Stouffer-Hopkins from Lansing
- High School
- Olivia Smiertka from Holly
- Michelle Lekhtman from Bloomfield
- Andrew Brasher of Saint Louis
- General
- Kelsey Winiarski of Livonia
- Breanna Tanner of Grand Rapids
- Madelyn VerVaecke of Livonia
Published: Sep 9, 2024 05:33 pm