Last week, Selena Gomez posted a video on her TikTok before her appearance on the Wizards Beyond Waverly Place red carpet. In it, she wore a fully sequined Rodarte dress and a Roger Vivier clutch. Posing for the camera, she proudly displayed an accessory on her accessory: An “I Voted” sticker was freshly pressed onto her satin Vivier bag. Gomez had just voted early in Los Angeles County and had the sticker to prove it!
As Americans queue up to vote, most of them will come away with a badge of honor—a nonpartisan sticker to announce to friends and passersby that they have done their civic duty. While we can all take inspiration from Gomez and sport the sticker any which way we like (including a red carpet getup!), it’s worth noting that not all stickers look alike.
Gomez voted in Los Angeles County and received a sticker designed and distributed by the local government. Her circular sticker features an American flag motif and “I Voted” in block text lettering on top. On the bottom, the words “I Voted” appear in 12 other different languages: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Russian, Armenian, Persian, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese—as a nod to the county’s diverse makeup. It’s a design that’s been in use since 2018.
According to Kathleen R. McGrath, Director of Public Information at the New York State Board of Elections, “The decision to distribute stickers is up to the local County Board of Elections. County Boards can choose to design, purchase, and hand them out to voters if they wish.”
Photo: Getty Images
