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Image Credit: Kevin Lau

The image above of feline Lefty sporting an "I Voted" sticker is not, as some activists might worry, evidence of voter fraud. Rest assured, cats and other domestic animals are not posing as voters. Lefty's message is much less nefarious if vehement: "YES, I am talking to YOU! GO VOTE TODAY!" I already wore my "I Voted Early" sticker last week, thanks to the early voting available in Travis County, Texas. And I look forward to seeing fellow citizens from across the nation sporting "I Voted" stickers tomorrow regardless of their choices inside the voting booth.

Image Credit: missus manukenkun

The "I Voted" sticker offers a small but insistent and numerous reminder to fellow citizens to vote, and the stickers communicate pride in participating in the democratic process. When I wore the sticker into my class last week, I joked with my students about the sticker working to guilt them into voting. I doubt seeing the sticker does much more than remind an audience of the election and evoke whatever attitudes that audience associates with the voting, which for many is cynicism and indifference, especially for races at the federal level.  

Image Credit: Tony Alter

I can't entirely disagree with that cynicism either (especially in a non-swing state), though I think it's still important to vote particularly for local races where one's vote has more influence, and I'm not alone in that decision going by those sporting "I Voted" stickers on Flickr (a selection of which is included below).

Image Credit: Tony Delgrosso

Image Credit: Tracy Apps

The Secretary of State Office in Washington State has even offered an e-sticker for your Facebook page.

Image Credit: Washington State Secretary of State

The "I Voted Early" sticker I wore here in Texas is somewhat larger than the "I Voted" stickers common in other regions. But, I have to express some envy at the huge "I Voted" stickers available to voters in Clark County, NV, such as Julie Vazquez shows off below.

Image Credit: Julie Vazquez