Generation Voter’s “I Voted” sticker competition

This year, Generation Voter, led by senior Ava Giere, offered an “I Voted” sticker competition to involve local youth in the civic process.

The competition judged sticker designs by Burlingame residents under 18; voters will receive the winning submission at polling booths. They received 175 submissions from the Burlingame community.

“Hopefully [the “I Voted” contest] got more people thinking about voting in the November elections,” Giere said. 

Generation Voter, a project out of the city clerk’s office, helps young people take part in the civic process and pre-register to vote. Giere is passionate about bringing attention to smaller elections since many constituents only vote in federal elections.

“Citywide issues and community issues also matter,” Giere said.

There are limited chances for youth to be politically involved. This year, the “I Voted” sticker contest was Generation Voter’s way of changing that.

The winner of the competition for ages of 12 to 18 was junior Lauren Cheng. Her design incorporated red and blue squiggles to represent the stripes on the American flag.

“I wanted to include [pieces] that are common in voting settings,” Cheng said.

All the winning stickers portrayed each artist’s diversity, personality and creativity.

Cheng’s experience is proof that Generation Voter achieved its goal of prompting more young people to join the voting process.

“It definitely helped me engage more with the community,” Cheng said.