A werewolf ripping off its shirt. A deer wearing sunglasses. Unique 'I Voted' stickers are bringing fun to the democratic process.
There's a lot at stake for Michigan voters, considering the state is one of the seven key swing states that could help decide the 2024 presidential election. For many, though, their most pressing concern? Getting a coveted werewolf "I Voted" sticker. Before the polls even opened, Western Michigan's Ottawa County Election Supervisor Katie Bard told local news station Fox 17, "We probably get five calls a day at our office just about this. And I know our locals are also getting a lot of calls." Demand is so high for the "unhinged" drawing, which is one of 4 million unique stickers, along with other winning designs, being distributed to the 7.2 million active registered voters, that a single sticker is even being sold on eBay for $36, WGRD 97.9 reports.
Jane Hynous, 12, of Grosse Pointe, drew the werewolf ripping off its shirt in front of an American flag. She based her work on a meme and, according to the New York Times, “didn’t want to do something that usually you think of when you think of Michigan." Her sketch is one of nine chosen works from Michigan's sticker design contest, which was held in the spring and received 57,700 public votes, according to the Michigan Department of State. Another winner, 10-year-old Katelyn Stouffer-Hopkins, created the "I'm Cool I Voted" sticker. "It made me feel incredibly happy because I made this," the elementary schooler told Fox 17 of getting selected from the 480 submissions. "My friends at school know that I'm famous."
Michigan's contest went viral, yet it's not the first kid-designed sticker to make headlines. A surreal-looking purple spider sticker, courtesy of the Ulster County, N.Y., competition, made the internet lol during the 2022 midterm elections. There's also Kentucky's "Lizard Man," which lost to a horse illustration.
Contests like these are held throughout the United States to inspire young people to engage in the democratic process — and make it fun for all. From a smiling cat giving a thumbs-up to a llama wearing rainbow sunglasses, here are some of the best Election Day stickers.