Sticker created by general entry winner Breanna Tanner of Grand Rapids.
After turning in their ballot on election day, Michigan State University students voting on campus will be faced with one more difficult decision before they can leave: which of the nine “I Voted” stickers will they choose to take home with them.
On Wednesday morning, the Michigan Department of State announced the nine winners of the statewide “I Voted” sticker design contest. The contest, which launched in May of 2024, received more than 480 submissions and, once the field was narrowed to 25 semifinalists, received over 57,700 votes from the public.
The nine winners, split into elementary/middle school, high school and general pools are as follows:
Elementary / Middle School
Jane Hynous of Grosse Pointe
Gabby Warner of Rockford
Katelyn Stouffer-Hopkins of Lansing
High School
Olivia Smiertka of Holly
Michelle Lekhtman of West Bloomfield
Andrew Brasher of Saint Louis
General
Kelsey Winiarski of Livonia
Breanna Tanner of Grand Rapids
Madelyn VerVaecke of Livonia
In a press release, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she was “overwhelmed” by the enthusiasm and creativity the contest inspired.
“Now, let’s use the same energy in casting a vote this November,” Benson said. “I encourage every eligible voter to make a plan now to have your voice heard – vote with an absentee ballot, at an early voting site, or on Election Day – and feel proud to wear a sticker designed by a fellow Michigander.”
East Lansing City Clerk Marie Wicks confirmed her office plans to order the stickers; they will be available to people voting in East Lansing.
“They look great,” Wicks said. "Yes, we are planning on ordering some."
For landscape architecture senior Grace Densham, it was difficult to settle on a favorite winning-sticker. She decided her personal top three were Madelyn VerVaecke’s trout illustration, Kelsey Winiarski’s drawing of a patriotic cat and Breanna Tanner’s sleek graphic which simply reads “Ope, I voted.”
“I (also) like the satire of the ‘I voted yay’ sticker,” Densham said, referencing Gabby Warner’s entry which prominently features an inverted ‘e’ in its design. “These are wonderful. I love the range of creativity.”
Global studies freshman Aryan Katial, whose favorite design was also Winiarski’s cat, said the presence of these unique stickers insert a sense of fun into the typically stressful, time-consuming process of voting. Katial added that as a child, he would stick “I voted” stickers on his desktop.
“The stickers really do connect with a lot of people,” Katial said. “Voting is a very serious matter. When you put the stickers into it, it makes it more human.”
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