Every election, Minnesota voters cast their ballot and receive a circular, solid red "I VOTED" sticker. But what if the state gave it's voters the right to choose their candidates AND their celebratory stickers?

Other states already do it. Our neighbors to the south in Iowa host competitions for children and adults alike to submit their designs to be featured on voting stickers handed out in each election. Michigan adopted the same concept only two years ago.

Voters in those states choose from stickers with nature landscapes, animals,  cartoons, memes and everything in between. 

Minnesotans love novel experiences and fun, artistic competitions. It's the same reason we flood the state fair each year to eat new, delicious foods and enjoy quirky, creative crop art. I believe it would only be fitting to adopt this concept at the polls.

The problem? The simplistic nature of Minnesota's "I VOTED" sticker became state law over 30 years ago.

The statute reads:

204B.49 "I VOTED" STICKERS. The secretary of state, county auditor, municipal clerk, school district clerk, or an election judge may provide a sticker containing the words "I VOTED," and nothing more, to an individual who:

1.  has successfully deposited a ballot into a ballot box;
2. is provided an absentee ballot under section 203B.07, subdivision 1, or 203B.21, subdivision 2; or
3. is provided a ballot by mail under section 204B.45 or 204B.46.

I believe a few simple tweaks to this statute would allow the conception of a tradition that would encourage both engagement in the civic process and improve voter turnout.

Love the red sticker? No problem. The beauty of choice is that voters could choose between the new, novel sticker or the iconic original ones.

Sign the petition today to help bring the idea to life.