A sleepy kitty, a fabulous frog and several pieces of iconic Michigan culture are featured among the nine winners of the statewide “I voted” sticker contest for the 2026 midterm elections in November.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office announced the winners Tuesday afternoon following a public vote. Nearly 2,100 designs were submitted — more than four times the number for the inaugural contest in 2024 — and more than 53,000 votes were cast.
“Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted a design. The sticker contest is a great way for people of all ages to participate in our democracy,” Benson said in a statement.
The nine winning designs will be available for local clerks to order and give out to voters this fall, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Three designs were selected from three categories: elementary and middle school, high school and general entry.
Among the most Michigan-centric winners selected were designs depicting Superman ice cream, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald lake freighter (before its untimely demise) and a set of ever-present roadway construction orange barrels.
One winning design, submitted by Maddie Tallman of Woodhaven, features a collection of Michigan cultural symbols, including cherries, a coney dog, a road sign depicting a “Michigan left” turn, and a Ford Model T, among others.
Benson, who is the Democratic nominee for governor of Michigan, credited the Michigan Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force for the original contest idea in 2024 and helped administer it again in 2026. Her office created the task force in 2019 to boost youth voter engagement.
Task force members this year sifted through the thousands of designs and narrowed the submissions down to 30 semifinalists in each category.
“As someone who loved what the ‘I Voted’ sticker contest brought Michigan two years ago, it was really special to be on the inside helping pick the finalists alongside my fellow task force members,” task force chairperson Blase Johnson said.
“There were so many creative, beautiful, and endearing depictions of Michigan and its culture across the thousands of submissions sent in. It was easy to feel the love the artists of all ages had for this state.”
gschwab@detroitnews.com
@GrantSchwab
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan ‘I Voted’ stickers feature orange barrels, sleepy kitty and more
Reporting by Grant Schwab, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Grant Schwab, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
