One of these will be Philly’s new ‘I Voted’ sticker

Voting is now open to help Philadelphia elections officials select the new “I Voted” stickers, to be handed out beginning with the April 28 primary election.

The city has given out stickers at polling places since 2012. They’re seen as a way to demonstrate civic pride and raise awareness of elections.

“I know the ‘I Voted’ stickers may not be the most important thing that we do, but it is certainly something that the public is highly passionate about,” said Lisa Deeley, chair of the city commissioners, who oversee elections.

“With the all-important 2020 elections upon us, this is the perfect time for us to roll out a new, unique sticker and get people excited about going to the polls," Deeley said in a statement. "I am so happy with the wonderful designs that Philadelphians get to choose from. I hope everyone goes out and votes and gets their new sticker in April.”

The current stickers have long drawn complaints of poor stickiness, and officials are also seeking to better highlight a Philadelphia identity with the one. They ran a contest in partnership with the School District throughout January, netting 150 submissions in adult, college, high school, and K-8 categories. A panel of judges chose nine finalists, three in the adult category and two each in the student groups.

Contestants took a variety of routes to incorporate Philadelphia into their designs. Of the nine finalists, three incorporate the Liberty Bell, one uses a hand-drawn sketch of the City Hall tower, one depicts Independence Hall, one mimics a SEPTA token, and one portrays a city street sign. Some students’ hand-drawn designs were digitized.

Now that the judges have picked nine finalists, it’s up to the public to decide which sticker wins.

Voting is open until 11:45 p.m. March 1 at philadelphiavotes.com.

The finalists are: