If you vote in person on November 5, you'll get an oval "I Voted" sticker after turning in your ballot. If you live in Wolcott, you'll get a circular sticker with mountains, a river and a heart on it, designed by 10-year-old Kezia Warfisch, the first-place winner of the secretary of state's inaugural "I Voted" sticker design contest.
Kezia's warm and colorful design won over the judges in the competition, part of Seven Days' 2024 Good Citizen Challenge. The panel included staffers from Seven Days and the Secretary of State's Office, along with several town clerks. More than 80 students submitted designs. Robyn Palmer, director of civic and voter engagement for the Secretary of State's Office, collaborated with Seven Days to narrow the choices to 12 finalists, whose work was anonymized to prevent favoritism. Kezia's design was the clear winner.
In her contest entry, the young artist wrote: "I tried a few different designs and liked this one best. It was fun!" Her father, Elliot Waring, noted that this is her third art contest win — she also came out on top in a logo design competition for Wolcott's new community forest and Casella's annual calendar contest; her art was featured on the calendar cover that year.
The Secretary of State's Office will print Kezia's stickers and deliver them to Wolcott to be given out at the polls. The office will also print the designs of the two runners-up, Lyle Johnson and Willa Saunders, both of whom live in Burlington. Queen City voters will be able to select one of their stickers as they leave the polls on Election Day.
From the judges:
"The artwork is beautiful, with the shading and color choices, and it feels very much like Vermont. It is simple and relatable."
"This one makes me think of how we vote with our hearts to choose leaders and policies we believe will make a positive difference for the people and communities that we love."
"The sun framed by the mountains, and the mountains framed by a heart, conveys a sense of hope and care for our home — an ideal spirit in which to head to the polls."
From the judges:
"I liked that they included the state of Vermont and red, white and blue!"
From the judges:
"Impressive level of detail — the ribbon at the bottom even says 'Freedom' and 'Unity'!"