“I Voted” Lapel Pins

Traditionally, when one votes in the United States, you receive a fun “I Voted” sticker that lets you celebrate your civic engagement and also reminds others around you to vote as well. However, in Washington State, where all our voting is done via mail-in ballot, we no longer receive these stickers.  As someone who is pretty civically engaged, I missed the pride in showing off my sticker; I missed the wonderful, engaging conversations the came about because of folks being reminded and talking about voting.

After searching the interwebs, thinking that surely someone had created a pin I could buy (because what can’t be bought online these days), I discovered a gaping hole.  So, like any good designer, I created my own. The initial design was based on the traditional “I Voted” sticker. One version sports the American Flag, while the other flies the Inclusive LGBTQ Pride flag, which debuted in Philadelphia in 2017.

From the outset, I wanted the ability to wear both pins and offer both versions of the pins for sale. There are so many time that the rights of LGBTQ people are left up to popular vote, and the opportunity to show one’s support in such a vote was important to me. The reason to include the Inclusive Pride Flag (sometimes called the Philadelphia Pride Flag) was important for the same reason: the rights, safety, and lives of people of color are often left up to the whim of popular opinion.  As such, using the Inclusive Pride Flag seemed like such an obvious decision.

I chose to make these pins as hard enamel (cloisonné) because of the increased durability it provides, but even more so because of the smooth, high-polished look they afford. I knew I wanted to wear a pin that would look good on professional attire, and thus wanted to provide the same to others.

I used Times New Roman because it had already been used in several other I Voted stickers and also because I wanted something that felt familiar and traditional to the modern voter.