City of Traverse City Receives National Award for Voting Sticker Contests
U.S. Election Assistance Commission Announces Clearinghouse Award Honorees
The City of Traverse City has been honored with the 2022 Clearinghouse award for their Voting Sticker Design Contests from the US. Election Assistance Commission. Each year, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) invites submissions for its national Clearinghouse Awards, or Clearies for short. Under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), the EAC is charged with serving as a clearinghouse
for election administration information. By celebrating innovative efforts from state and local election offices, the Clearies helps the EAC to fulfill this important mission.
The “I Voted” Sticker award category seeks creative and original designs that exemplify voter education, outreach, and community flair. In 2020, the City launched a multi-year sticker design contest to promote voter pride and build education and awareness surrounding elections. The creative challenges included "I Voted" in 2020, "Future Voter" in 2021, and "First Time Voter" in 2022.
“It’s a real high-five for voter engagement here in Traverse City to have been one of three communities across the United States to have been recognized for our efforts to drive voter pride, and importantly, voter turnout. My thanks to Communications Specialist Colleen Paveglio for her work and efforts in designing a fun contest to build excitement around voting! We hope this recognition inspires other communities to do something similar in their corner of the world,” says City Clerk Benjamin Marentette.
In 2020, the "I Voted" Sticker Design Contest was hosted and open to residents, including 9th-12th grade students, in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Antrim, or Kalkaska counties. A public vote was hosted
and the winning design was created by Roger Amundsen. The sticker pays homage to our unique landscape in northern Michigan with a vintage flare.
In 2021, a "Future Voter" Sticker Design Contest was hosted and open to K-12 students in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Antrim, or Kalkaska counties. In an effort to have unique stickers from a diverse age group, the six finalists included three digital designs and three hand drawn designs. Through a public vote, the winning designs were created by Paige LaMott, Hanna Stalmack, and Ronin Wilson.
In 2022, a “First Time Voter” Sticker Design Contest was hosted and open to residents, including 9th-12th grade students, in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Antrim, or Kalkaska counties. Through a public vote, the winning designs were created by Morgan Orth, Amanda Campo, and Connor Primeau.
“We are thrilled to have received this national honor. Creating a program to have unique and creative voting stickers for the City was a natural fit. We were so pleased with the outcome and enthusiasm from areas residents and youth surrounding voter pride,” stated Colleen Paveglio, Communications Specialist.
Utilizing the unique voting sticker designs has become the City of Traverse City brand for promotional and educational materials as it relates to elections. In addition, the design was used to develop selfie stations at each one of the 7 precincts within the City of Traverse City.