When Collier County citizens head to the polls this election cycle and take home an “I Voted” sticker, it will have a new look — courtesy of a Gulfview Middle School student who can’t even vote yet.
Jon Austria/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network
The new "I Voted" sticker created by Leslie Wu, 11, a sixth-grader at Gulfview Middle School
Leslie Wu sat down at her desk to sketch her vision of democracy and within a matter of days she was done.
Little did she know at the time that would lead to her artwork going home with every voter in Collier County this year.
That vision was “voting should bring people together even if they have different opinions,” Leslie says.
The 11-year-old entered her design into the Supervisor of Elections Art for Democracy contest.
“When they see my sticker, they’ll (voters) realize how much they are contributing to voting,” she says.
From Philadelphia to Macomb County, Michigan, election officials are opting for redesigns with many asking students to imagine new ones, like Collier.
This will be the first time Collier’s sticker has undergone a significant makeover with a student artist at the helm, says Trish Robertson, a public relations officer in the supervisor of election’s office.
“The concept of this was to really start a conversation not only with children, but we were hoping this would start a conversation between children and their parents,” Trish says.
More than 220,000 stickers will be printed for early voting through the general election in November, according to the county’s elections office.
But more could be ordered depending on voter turnout for each election.
The contest, which started in 2015, branches out through art to reach voters, Trish says.
The office merged their plan to revitalize the contest and get a new look for the county’s sticker, she explains. They put together a sized template for students, so the sticker’s dimensions would not differ from other years.
Leslie says her art teacher, Laura Foht, encouraged her to create an illustration and enter the contest.
Student perspectives bring an innocent message to what can be a divisive process, Laura says.
“Often times the conversations around politics can become heated and aggressive even,” she says.
After beginning their projects, Laura says her class started to discuss and openly debate politics respectfully.
For Leslie, her close-knit friend group and their ability to resolve conflict inspired her design.
“The day’s better when I’m with them,” Leslie says.
She explains their disagreements tend to end in quick forgiveness and shared laughter.
The contest had more than 200 entries, the elections office’s highest turnout ever.
Twelve student award winners were honored at a reception at the Naples Art Association where their artwork was displayed until February 23.
The art is also featured in the county’s supervisor of elections calendar.
High school senior winners are recipients of $500 scholarships while younger students receive $500 donations to their school’s art department.