When Grand County Clerk Gabriel Woytek proposed a student-designed “I Voted” sticker to Grand County High School art teacher Christa Green, she seized the opportunity to educate her students about voting while creating art in a real-world context.
GCHS junior Violet Begay and GCHS art teacher Christa Green with Begay’s design. photo by nath kapoor
“It was a chance for students to answer to the real world,” said Green, who assigned the sticker design project to her Commercial Art 2 class in the spring. “The parameters were to appeal to the local context while also being patriotic.”
Multiple students in Green’s class, including junior Violet Begay, participated in the project, working with Green to create their own visions.
After rounds of feedback and revision with Green, Begay’s design was chosen as Grand County’s official design for the November 8th election.
“The idea was originally a wagon wheel,” Begay said, until she discovered, with Green’s help, the atomic symbol, resonating with Moab’s uranium era. “I stayed up until 2 a.m. making the final design on Clip Studio.”
“The simplicity of the design speaks,” Green said. Delicate Arch, the La Sals, bird silhouettes, and a red, white and blue palette complete the design, painting a holistic picture of Grand County’s past and present.
Moab’s uranium boom of the 1950s tapered in the 60s, eventually giving way to its current tourism economy. These economic, political, and cultural changes folded Moab over onto itself, making parts of it unrecognizable to a visitor. However, past eras still seep through our current one in unrecognizable ways.
Green’s class also learned valuable voter information, like the ability to register upon receiving a driver’s license. Grand County voters who receive mail-in ballots this election cycle will also receive one of Begay’s stickers. The county printed a roll of 5,000 stickers.
Woytek confirmed mail ballots will be sent to voters this month, encouraging voters to return their ballots as soon as possible.
Benefits of returning your ballot sooner than later:
– Avoid the crowds and lines on or near election day
– Less crowding if you need extra time or accommodations to vote or drop your ballot
– Easily and flexibly fit into your schedule
– Turn in your ballot before you leave for vacation
– Give yourself plenty of time to address any issues with your ballot before Election Day
– The more ballots that enter the process before election day, the faster the results are available on election night
Grand County candidates running for County Commission Districts 1-3 and District At-Large can be found here on the County website, along with other election and voting information.
The deadline to register to vote is October 25. Voters can use Trackmyballot.utah.gov to get email, text or voice calls to track their ballot.
