[UPDATE] Primary Day Outrage: The Subway-Themed 'I Voted' Sticker Is NO MORE

The new "I Voted" sticker on the left

One of the delights of participating in democracy is voting—and bragging about it with an "I voted" sticker. But NYC voters eager to advertise the fulfillment of their civic duty to the world at large faced a rude awakening this morning, as the NYC Board of Elections introduced a new sticker for the 2019 Primary. It's a real eyesore. Update: The NYC Campaign Finance Board asked the BOE to continue using the subway sticker... but the BOE said no. [More details below.]

For the 2017 and 2018 elections (plus the special election in February of this year), NYC voters received a charming "I voted" sticker inspired by the subway system, with five different colored lines representing the five boroughs. In fact, the sticker was also a product of the democratic process, winning a public vote for a new sticker design.

The new sticker is in red, white, and blue, with a NYC skyline. I know, I know, any sticker is better than no sticker, but it just looks so pitifully bland. The subway sticker had personality, while this feels like the sticker you give to a tourist voting in a Times Square Applebees vs. Olive Garden breadstick tasting contest that just shows the Manhattan skyline (I mean, would it have killed them to add the Brooklyn Bridge or something?):

The NYC Campaign Finance Board acknowledged the loss of the beloved sticker, saying in a press release, "NYC Votes mourns the demise of the subway-themed 'I Voted' stickers today," and revealed that New Yorkers can get an enamel pin of the subway sticker... if they sign up to receive NYC Votes texts or emails:

The NYC Board of Elections (BOE) began distributing a new sticker of their own design today for the primary election.

New Yorkers who want to continue wearing the subway-themed "I Voted" badge on Election Day may still do so. NYC Votes has produced replica enamel pins. To receive a pin, city voters can simply do the following:

Sign the NYC Votes Voter Pledge to receive our text or emails
Text "Pledge2019" to +19179796377 to sign up for election text alerts.

All NYC voters who sign up today for either of these important election resources will receive an NYC Votes "I Voted" enamel pin in the mail. There is yet another critical election coming in November 2019: Voters in all five boroughs will decide a number of ballot initiatives proposed by the 2019 NYC Charter Revision Commission.

However, there is one nice feature of the new design... there's a version for kids:

Anyway, remember to cast your vote for which design you prefer:

UPDATE: In April, upon learning that the BOE wanted to phase out the subway sticker, the Campaign Finance Board sent a letter to the BOE, offering to work on a redesign and continue to cover the costs of printing future stickers. The letter also notes how the CFB has spent $76,000 on the subway stickers so far (and they've budgeted $125,000 for the stickers in 2020) and that the stickers have been popular with voters.

Letter to NYC Board of Elections from NYC Campaign Finance Board, re subway "I Voted" stick by Jen Chung on Scribd

However, NYC BOE Executive Director Michael Ryan told WNYC's Brigid Bergin that the new sticker is part of a larger rebranding effort. "It's an 'I voted' sticker, it's a 'Future Voter' sticker so when kids come with their moms and dads, they're going to have their own special sticker," he explained. "We're doing an 'I registered' sticker and an 'I voted early' sticker."

Ryan said it was important for all the stickers—and other materials produced by the city Board of Elections—to look consistent.

"The voters are going to be getting a lot of information from us in different forms perhaps television, certainly through social media, as well as mailings, and it's important to have consistent branding throughout so the voters know that it's coming from the Board of Elections and that it's official, and it's accurate and it's important," Ryan said.

Marie Dagata designed the winning subway map design with Scott Heinz for the 2017 competition. She found out from the CFB that it was being discontinued, and she's disappointed. Her and Heinz's concept was supposed to reflect all five boroughs—and how people make their way around the whole city and to the voting booth. The design was intended to convey a specific feeling about New York City. She said the new design looks like something that could be slapped on a voter in any city across the country.

"There's no concept behind it," said Dagata, "there's no creative idea behind it. It's just kind of listing that you voted. And then using the check for the 'V' ...has been seen a lot."

Reporting by Brigid Bergin

Update: This article has been updated to note that the NYC Board of Elections made the decision to introduce the new sticker, not the NYC Campaign Finance Board.