As Montgomery County, PA prepares for Election Day on November 3, 2026, voters once again can wear a colorful piece of student artwork after casting their ballots. First introduced during the 2024 presidential election, the county’s “I VOTED!” stickers feature 45 original designs created by K-12 children from the Norristown Area and Pottstown School Districts. What began as a creative collaboration between Fresh Artists and Montgomery County election officials has become a permanent part of the county’s voting experience, with the children-designed stickers returning for future elections.
The designs originated from My Time to Shine, Fresh Artists’ art-making initiative that invited young artists to imagine themselves as radiant suns representing hope, happiness, justice, and the positive influence they could have on their communities. The project combined artistic expression with lessons about democracy. 759 students submitted original sun-inspired artworks, from which 45 designs were selected for the voting sticker collection. The initiative was part of a broader Fresh Artists educational program that engaged 24 art teachers, registered 5,590 students for participation, and generated 3,184 original artworks across six creative themes.
In preparation for the November 2024 presidential election, Montgomery County, PA election officials ordered 220,000 stickers featuring the selected designs for distribution to voters across the county’s 426 voting precincts. The two-inch-square stickers transformed children’s imaginative artwork into a recognizable symbol of civic participation, connecting young artists with thousands of voters throughout their community. Montgomery County Commissioner and Chair of the County Board of Elections Neil Makhija celebrated the initiative, stating, “It’s also wonderful that these kids will see themselves as part of such an important aspect of our citizenship.”
The lasting impact of the initiative extends beyond the stickers themselves. Fresh Artists has explored the connection between art education and civic engagement since partnering with Vote That Jawn in 2018, encouraging children to use creativity to communicate the importance of voting. In 2019 a teen volunteer of Vote That Jawn noted “If you can tell other people why voting is important, you become a lifetime voter.”
Fresh Artists’ mission continued through a nationwide student voting-logo project in 2020 and expanded through the Montgomery County, PA partnership. “Many of these students may not yet be a voting age, but this is a great way to introduce them to civics and local government,” said Montgomery County Commissioner Thomas DiBello. “There’s great power in lifting up our young people and celebrating their talents in a public way like this.”
The permanent adoption of the “I VOTED!” stickers reflects Fresh Artists’ commitment to introducing the idea that children's artwork can have a purpose. Through this collaboration, children have helped shape a lasting tradition while encouraging civic awareness and community participation. As Commissioner Jamila H. Winder noted, “Fresh Artists is not only bringing beautiful art into our public spaces but also introducing these students to local government and encouraging them to purse their artistic talents.” With another Election Day approaching, these young artists’ contributions remain a bright and vibrant reminder that civic engagement can begin long before someone is old enough to vote.
