LGBT Center hosts voting Super Center with custom “I Voted” stickers

In a state with easy mail-in ballot options, California voters have one advantage if they choose to turn in or fill out their ballot at a polling station: the I Voted sticker. According to AARP, these stickers have been a tradition since 1988 when Janet Boudreau, the then-owner of election supply company Intab, designed a simple sticker with an American flag and blue font to add to her line of products. The trend caught on, although Vogue reports it may have started earlier in some places—possibly Orange County, Florida and Phoenix. By 2000, Boudreau was selling over 100 million stickers each election.

Decades later, the trend has caught on with county boards of electors handing out the free stickers to voters in most areas. In a day rife with tribalism, the stickers add a splash of bipartisan joy. The San Diego County Registrar of Voters designed a sticker with a red “I,” blue “VOTED,” and a smaller font red “San Diego County.” A red and blue swish is above one corner and a stylized portion of the American flag is beneath. In a blue frame of the oval, I voted is translated into Spanish, Tagalog, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. The sticker is a point of pride for those who did their civic duty.

For San Diegans who voted at The San Diego LGBT Community Center, which served as a Super Center with extra poll workers to accommodate larger crowds, they could pick up a unique “I Voted” sticker. It looks similar to the generic San Diego County sticker, except it reads “I voted at the San Diego LGBT Community Center” and has the Progress Pride flag colors around the edges. Voters could also pick up a Spanish version of the sticker.

The Center had a celebratory atmosphere with no lines mid-morning on Tuesday, Nov. 5. According to a poll worker, the day featured moving moments, like when a 97-year-old immigrant voted for the first time. He flexed his muscles like Rocky Balboa while submitting his ballot. By the next election, his wife should be eligible to vote too.

The LGBT Center will be open until 8 p.m. for voters to drop off ballots or vote in person.