Mid-Michigan may be red, blue and purple politically, but its voters agree on at least one thing: They like the state's “I Voted” stickers.
“I expect our supplies will almost be gone after Election Day,” said Meridian Township Clerk Angela Demas. Her office received 20,000 of the state's quirky stickers.
The state introduced the stickers in 2024 in a design contest suggested by the Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force. This year, the state received more than 2,095 entries — a quadruple increase since 2024.
The task force winnowed the field to 30 designs in each of the three categories, for a total of 90, then the secretary of state put them to a public vote online. Nine winners were announced in August.
Those nine designs went on rolls of 1,000 distributed to county clerks across the state, who in turn dispatched them recently to local clerks.
Three winning entries were chosen in each of three categories, for a total of nine designs: elementary/middle school, high school and general.
Justin Evans, who attends Delta College in the tri-cities area, serves on the advisory board. He and the other members each picked their 10 favorites.
“It was very difficult,” said Evans. “They were just so artistic and creative.”
But he said it was worth it, particularly because of the student involvement.
“This contest is a great way for young people and kids to participate in civic engagement,” said Evans, who is majoring in political science. It serves as a “great introduction and really gets kids excited knowing that they could have their artwork on all of the 'I Voted' stickers in the state."
“That experience hopefully translates to further civic engagement down the line.”
Delhi Township Clerk Evan Hope said voters can get the new stickers when voting in person in his township. Some clerks included more generic stickers with mail-in ballots.
“During early in-person voting and on Election Day, we have a table where the voters exit with all the stickers and voters can take whatever time they need to pick out what they want," Hope said.
That means they can get their personal favorite, while supplies last.
“In 2024, the wolf ripping his shirt off was, by far, the most popular sticker,” Hope said.
Jane Hynous, a 12-year-old middle school student from Grosse Pointe, created the werewolf image that was one of the nine winners in the 2024 "I Voted" sticker contest.
John Oliver featured it on an episode of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight.”
"The founding fathers should, frankly, be ashamed they didn't ensure voting came with complimentary werewolf swag,” Oliver joked.
Hope said he likes that the stickers “don’t appear to be traced or made from an already popular image.”
Evans said the college advisory board screened entries to eliminate any art that was not original or that may violate copyright.
He said one of his top 10 choices was among the nine winners, featuring a road construction sign and orange traffic cones — or, as he described it with a laugh, the "state flower." It was designed by Hilarie Williams of Oak Park in the general category.
Clerks have their favorites, too.
For example, Demas said she likes the one of the cat lying in front of an American flag and saying, “I voted. Now let me sleep." It was the work of Aryana Lintz of Berrien Springs in the elementary/middle school category.
“I recently adopted two cats and, you know, I have to pick that sticker," Demas said.
Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope said his favorite is the Edmund Fitzgerald sticker made by Keirsten Sturm-Richmond of Remus in the high school category.
Then Swope added that he disliked the cat sticker.
“I don’t like cats,” he said. “I’m allergic to them.”
Hiss.