Kids’ designs add whimsy to typical stickers
New look proves popular among post-vote crowd
CONCORD, N.H. — Voters across New Hampshire were rewarded with a little bit of whimsy when they went to vote in the presidential primary Tuesday. The “I Voted” stickers they received at polling stations were designed by fourth-grade students from around the Granite State.
“The sticker I got for voting was crazy cool,” said Dan Kelleher, 25, of Concord.
The students won’t be old enough to vote in a presidential election until 2032 at the earliest, but New Hampshire officials found a way to get them involved in this election cycle with a sticker-designing contest held in September and October 2023.
The hand-drawn designs had to include the phrase “I Voted” and be drawn on a 2-inch-wide template provided by the secretary of state’s office. Offensive or partisan messages were ineligible, each student could submit just one design, and parents had to give permission for their children to participate. The secretary of state’s office received more than 1,000 entries.
The three winning designs were picked by a panel of local election officials and unveiled on Oct. 24, 2023. The designs were judged based on their creativity, inclusivity of all voters, and focus on New Hampshire, organizers said at the time.
The winning designs featured iconic New Hampshire imagery: a moose overlooking fall foliage with Mt. Washington on the horizon, the Old Man of the Mountain with the American flag as the sky, and a cartoon figure shaped like the state of New Hampshire happily fishing in a lake with the stars and stripes overhead.
“We were thrilled by the number of submissions we received from highly engaged fourth graders across New Hampshire,” Deputy Secretary of State Erin Hennessey said in a press release. “Their designs showed a high level of talent, home state pride, and engagement in our election process. It was difficult to pick just three winners!”
On primary day, many voters were eager to get them instead of a more generic and more traditional design.
“The kids’ stickers are awesome. I hope I get one,” said Sam Call, 23, an independent voter in Salem who said he was casting his ballot for Republican Nikki Haley.
Even those who turned down a sticker acknowledged that the designs were good.
“They did offer me one. … It’s a nice looking sticker,” Eddy Comeau, 20, said with a chuckle as he emerged from his polling place in Plaistow. “I’m just not a sticker guy.”
The state printed 2 million stickers, which were distributed to all polling locations in the state. Printing and delivery cost “about $10,000,” Hennessey told the Globe.
“They should have enough for all of the elections in 2024, depending on how many stickers each voter takes,” Hennessey said.
Speaking from Windham, Hennessey said the feedback on the stickers has been strong, especially from parents who come in with children, and from former teachers. “Everyone has just been extremely positive about them,” she said. “They sometimes take all three.”
So far, there are no set plans to continue the contest for future election cycles, but there is definitely a lot of interest. Younger siblings of the current artists are especially hopeful, Hennessey said.
“We have gotten such positive feedback,” she added. “Over 1,000 students entered the competition, and there was a lot of great talent.”
While only the three winning designs were printed and distributed statewide, all of the entries are currently on display in the tunnel between the State House and the legislative office building in Concord.