TRAVERSE CITY - After the relief of casting your vote is done, you have one more important decision to make, and that’s choosing your “I Voted” sticker.
“I think it’s like the whole thing, right? Like putting on an outfit. Like you’re doing. You’re doing your job. You know, so you kind of feel empowered, you know, if you show up. And then the sticker is kind of like the last piece of the last accessory, you know, like you did it. You’ve got a sticker. So, I just like choosing whichever one feels like the most right for that,” says voter Jessica Angel.
Middle and high schoolers from around Michigan designed stickers that were then voted on by the public and now featured at the polls. People are enjoying checking out the different sticker options.
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“They’re loving the stickers ... and there are fish and the fish is real popular, and also, there’s a werewolf, which I didn’t know about, but apparently there’s a big thing about the werewolf. We’ve had people ask for the werewolf sticker,” explains volunteer Bonnie Willings.
The werewolf sticker became very popular on social media and people are searching for it when it’s time to get their sticker. There were also stickers specific to the Traverse City polls.
“We launched the ‘I Voted’ sticker contest, where there were submissions and the public got to vote on their favorite designs. So, we have had a TC branded ‘I Voted’ sticker. And in Traverse City that tends to be the most popular one. We also had a ‘Future Voter’ sticker contest for kids from schools that submitted the design and then that stickers for kids that are going to be our future voters and the folks who will be picking our leaders down the road. And then we also have a fun sticker for first time voters. So, the whole idea is just to have a nice vibe. So, excitement and enthusiasm and sort of celebration around voting,” says Benjamin Marentette, Traverse City clerk.
And for Willings, who passes the stickers out, she has her own favorite.
“I think this is my favorite sticker. It says, ‘I voted yay,’” she said.