The “I Voted” Sticker

I’m a traditionalist. I drove over to Clark Springs Elementary (formerly Fox Elementary) and cast my vote in the gymnasium. No wait, and the poll workers outnumbered the voters 3-1. The nice lady, who works the polls every year, handed me an “I voted” sticker. Because they have changed my polling place three times in the last five years, I was happy to see a familiar face.
“I think we’re going to be stuck with a ton of these,” she said, pointing to a large table full of perfectly positioned stickers. “Turnout has been very light.”
Yet vote counts, I am told, were extremely high across the Commonwealth. I didn’t see many “I voted” stickers on actual voters this week. I wore mine proudly on Tuesday. According to 2024 polling data, more than 60% of voters cast their votes early or by mail, and 39% showed up on election day.
Political buttons showing your support for a candidate or incumbent have been around since George Washington’s inauguration in 1789. The button said “Long live the President.” The “I voted” sticker is a more recent phenomenon and doesn’t take a stand one way or the other.
In 1987, a designer named Janet Boodreau created the iconic “I voted” sticker, working for an election supply company called Intab. By the end of that decade, the stickers became incredibly popular.
The sticker transformed voting from a private act into something visible: when a person leaves the polling place and wears the sticker, others see it — this builds a sense of communal participation. “Everybody’s doing it.”
It also taps into a concept called “social proof”: seeing someone wearing a sticker is a reminder that voting happens, and it prompts others to vote as well. Voter participation had dipped to historically low levels in the 1970s, and I believe those little stickers played a part in the trend of higher voter turnouts we’ve experienced in the last two decades.
It’s become part of the American election-day culture: people take selfies with their stickers, businesses offer incentives (like the 20% discount at Texas Inn) for voters wearing them, and localities hold design contests for new sticker versions.
With early voting, mail-in ballots, and a lack of stickers, where is the new “social proof?” Snapping a selfie at your mailbox and labelling it “I mailed in my constitutionally guaranteed right to vote.”
Win, lose, or draw, I hope that you voted this week; sticker or no sticker.
#BoldBrandsWin

MONDAY:
BIG OVEN ENERGY
Zorch Pizza is expanding in Carytown: second oven, bigger bar, soft‑serve machine, extra room to get weird…the works. Even better? You can now invest in a slice of the action thanks to a new community-investment campaign. Put your money where your mouth is, Richmond!
TUESDAY:
MIC DROP
The future sounds bright for WSC Smart Home Designers, the high-tech smart home wizards providing Hampton Roads with pitch-perfect audio, video, and lighting solutions. Founder Chris Subbiondo, pictured below, wrapped recording this week on a new Spotify spot at Broadscope Media, and let’s just say—his delivery was as seamless as WSC’s smart systems.

WEDNESDAY:
JACK’S BACK!
Big week for Virginia Energy Sense! Madison+Main joined forces with our partners at BES Studios to film and record new creative featuring Jack—the face (and spokes-plug) of energy efficiency in Virginia. Our own Dave Saunders powered up the mic to bring Jack’s legendary charm to life. Stay tuned for the spots: energy saving has never sounded snarkier.


THURSDAY:
FLUSH THE COMPETITION!
Having a good plumber on speed dial matters—and so does your vote! Click here to nominate Carroll Plumbing & Heating in CommunityVotes Richmond 2025 and help celebrate a small business that keeps Richmond flowing strong.
FRIDAY:
DAVE ON THE (AIR)WAVES
I joined Rich Herrera at 9:05 am this morning on Richmond’s Morning News to chat about fun things to do this weekend in RVA. ICYMI, here’s the link.
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE EVENTS
The Last Waltz at The Broadberry
Date: Friday, November 7th
Time: 8:00PM (doors open at 7)
Tickets: $54.04+
Location: The Broadberry
An annual Richmond tradition: our very own River City version of one of the great farewell concerts (and concert films) of the 1970s by The Band, featuring RVA musicians. Proceeds will benefit Feed More.
The Big LeBYRDski at Byrd Theatre
Date: Saturday, November 8th
Time: 6:30pm – 11:00pm
Tickets: $20
Location: The Byrd Theatre
The Byrd Theatre’s annual celebration of the Coen brothers’ 1998 slacker classic “The Big Lebowski” comes complete with a pre-screening “Bathrobe Bar Crawl” at participating waterholes Babes, Ripple Ray’s, Mellow Mushroom and New York Deli.
17th Annual Richmond Jewish Food Festival
Date: Sunday, November 9th – Monday, November 10th
Time: 12:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: 6300 Patterson Avenue
A local two-day tradition featuring Jewish food classics like knish, potato latkes and matzo ball soup, as well as live music and vendors.
“Every election is determined by the people who show up.” – Larry Sabato, UVa political pundit