The Camden County Clerk and the board of elections are sponsoring a contest for students in grades five to 12 to design stickers that read “I Voted” and “I Voted by Mail” for the upcoming general election and others after that.
The contest is open to county students who attend a public or private school, or who participate in an equivalent homeschool program in the county. Students in grades five through eight will each design an “I Voted” sticker, and those in grades nine through 12 an “I Voted by Mail” version.
The winning stickers will be displayed during the elections. Pamela Lampitt, the county clerk, said winners will be chosen based on what the county sees as important to get across about the voting process.
“I think it’s going to be one that really has a visual that speaks toward what we want people to do,” she explained. “Right now it doesn’t really do that … The criteria is going to be whichever one is going to be giving the essence of what we want to achieve.”
Designs must be hand drawn and can’t be computer or AI generated, Lampitt said, because it’s important that they be created by the students.
“We want kids to really use their creative juices on this,” she added. “We want to be using their imaginations.”
The submitted art must have something related to the county or New Jersey and can’t include copyrighted material. A date to notify winners has not yet been determined.
“The whole idea is to not only engage the young people, but sometimes just engaging the parents as well,” Lampitt noted. “Maybe they’re not as involved, and maybe through the excitement of their children’s eyes, maybe they’ll get excited about it.”
The county isn’t the first place to hold a voting sticker contest. Two years ago, Michigan hosted a statewide contest, and one of the winners showed a werewolf ripping its shirt off.
“Wow!” was Lampitt’s response to that.
She and the county are hoping for about 30 submissions; they will reach out to principals and superintendents to help let students know about the contest. Donna Robinson Taylor, chair of the elections board, said in a press release that the contest will get kids excited to participate in the election process.
“The board of elections is so excited to team with Clerk Lampitt for this fun opportunity and are looking forward to seeing what young creative minds come up with,” Taylor related. “Getting children excited to take part in the election process is fundamental in building their enthusiasm as future voters!”
Entries are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 1, and need to have the words “I Voted” or “I Voted by Mail” on them.
