Little Boy Thinks It’s Always “Wine Time”
This plays like a social experiment. A mom is holding a porcelain cup and telling her little boy, “You know what time it is.”
Without hesitation, he replies, “Wine time.” But she has to remind him it’s not even 9:00 A.M., which is “coffee time.”
'I Voted' Sticker: 5 Fun Facts About Civic Duty's Most Iconic Symbol
Besides having a say in your local, state and federal government representatives, one of the most popular aspects of going to vote is receiving an “I Voted” sticker.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve taken a selfie proudly showing off proof you voted. (This author is certainly guilty of doing so on multiple occasions.) But you should be proud to show off your sticker! Not only are you exercising your civic duty, but you’re also in possession of a true American icon.
Of course, for the 2024 election, the classic “I Voted” sticker has seen more designs join the fray. However, few have garnered as much attention as one particular design in Michigan. This year, the Wolverine State held a contest for residents to submit a new “I Voted” sticker design that will be printed and handed out at polling stations across the state. Among the winners was a design showing a werewolf ripping off a shirt in front of an American flag, which has since received a ton of attention nationwide.
John Oliver even talked about the infamous sticker on Last Week Tonight. He said of the design, “The founding fathers should frankly be ashamed that they didn’t ensure voting came with complimentary werewolf swag. I cannot believe it took nearly 250 years for a young Michigan genius to solve that obvious flaw in our democracy.”
Oliver’s praise didn’t just stop there. When the design was first released, the host jokingly said, “Yes! Everything about that is perfect. The line work, the kinetic energy of the shirt being ripped off, the wolf’s head thrown back in patriotic ecstasy at the concept of democracy. I know this is not the point, but I would commit voter fraud to get multiples of that sticker.”
That description eventually led to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to respond to Oliver saying, “No need to ‘commit voter fraud,’ John and @LastWeekTonight! We’ll send you some stickers.”
While the Michigan werewolf design is incredibly fun, let us not forget about the original design where this all started. Here are five fun facts about the classic “I Voted” sticker.
It's unclear who was the first to start giving out "I Voted" stickers. Per a report from 'Bustle', "Though the Phoenix Realtors Association (PRA) claims to have dreamed up an "I Voted Today" sticker in 1985, a 'Miami Herald' article published in 1982 says Fort Lauderdale businesses gave a discount to customers donning an "I Voted" sticker, according to TIME magazine."
According to 'Time,' "Janet Boudreau, who used to run the election-supply company Intab, designed a version with an American flag blowing in the wind in 1987. She was shocked by how many people didn’t realize it was Election Day, and wanted to do something to help."
The Windy City does things a little differently. Since 2016, instead of "I Voted" stickers, Chicagoans receive "I Voted" wristbands. 'The Chicago Sun-Times' said the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners opted for the wristbands after complaints of stickers being stuck to walls of polling places.
A 'Mic' article from 2012 said it costs 15 cents to produce a single "I Voted" sticker. "Though it's unclear exactly how many stickers governments around the country did purchase, it is worth noting that ensuring that one of these stickers would be available to each of the United States's 230 million voters would cost over $34 million. With these stickers available all over the country, there is little doubt that the government spent millions for adults to wear stickers," notes the author. Clearly, the author lacks any sense of whimsy!
Some businesses offer free goods/services if you show your "I Voted" sticker. During the 2018 midterm elections, 'The New York Times' shared a list of businesses with "I Voted" sticker promotions. They included Uber and Lyft, who were offering free rides to polling stations, and Shake Shack, who were offering free crinkle-cut French fries with every order. Even though it's great to encourage civic engagement, 'The New York Times' notes, "Providing voters with incentives before or after voting in a federal election is technically illegal." Oops?