UMSL students design 'I Voted' stickers for midterm election

Voters have cast ballots at the Millennium Student Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus since early voting began on Oct. 20. To mark their participation in the Nov. 3 midterm election, they can take home stickers designed by students in the Department of Art and Design.

Anita Manion, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Economics, said voters from across the county enjoy the items. She noted that the stickers are distributed quickly at the polling location.

The university has produced these stickers for every midterm cycle since 2022. This practice builds on earlier collaborations between the art and political science departments. In 2020, faculty from both groups taught a course focused on the presidential election. Students in that class created social media campaigns, face masks, and other voter education materials. Teaching Professor Michael Behle and Manion also co-curated an art exhibit titled Politics of Portraiture during that year.

Graphic design students create the stickers as a class assignment. Manion and David Kimball, the chair of the Department of Political Science and Economics, visit the course to discuss voting. They evaluate the sticker designs and gather student feedback before selecting the final version.

Manion described the partnership with the art department as rewarding. She explained that the collaboration extends beyond the physical product. The political science faculty provide background on the history of the stickers and explain how to vote and what is on the ballot.

Danielle Ridolfi, an assistant teaching professor of art and design, led this year's course. She said the project generated excitement among students. Many had not seen their work turned into a physical object outside of a classroom before. Students were eager to take the printed stickers to share with family and friends off campus.

Manion stated that the collaboration helps maintain the university's reputation as a voter-engaged campus. During the design selection process for this year's stickers, she and her colleagues helped register six students in the course to vote. The Department of Political Science will distribute the stickers on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fireside Lounge in the Millennium Student Center.

Ridolfi noted that seeing student work serve social goals is a joy of graphic design. She said it is a delight to share that experience with students early in their education.