No matter the state, millions of people in the United States will don the “I Voted” sticker on their chest on Election Day, an accessory that can likely be traced to the late 1980s.

The Phoenix Realtors Association in Arizona claimed it was the first to start distributing these stickers in Phoenix and Maricopa counties in 1985, and the National Campaign Supply claimed it started selling them in 1986.

However, the stickers may have been used longer than that. The Miami Herald mentioned the distribution of an “I Have Voted” sticker at Miami polls as early as 1950. A 1982 article from the outlet noted small businesses began offering Election Day discounts and freebies for those wearing the sticker in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

In 1984, then-Vice President George H. W. Bush received a sticker that said “I Voted Today — Have You?” in Houston, Texas, when he cast his ballot in the presidential election, according to a report that day from the United Press International wire service.

The stickers were originally provided locally by businesses or by groups, such as the League of Women Voters, to show one’s commitment to civic life. By 1988, they were commonplace in the U.S.

The most common oval-shaped sticker with an American flag and simple “I voted” can be traced to the election supply company Intab in 1987.

Janet Boudreau, who used to run the company, told Time Magazine she was shocked by how many people didn’t realize it was Election Day on Election Day.

“I wanted them to see people with an ‘I Voted’ sticker and think, ‘Oh, I should do that,’” she said.

She said the sticker was a product of growing up during the 1960s and 70s when she realized the power of voting. 

“In terms of civil rights and people protesting against the Vietnam War, we could see populism having a huge effect. Who you’d get in office to pass or kill legislation could mean life or death for some people,” Boudreau said.

As they became commonplace in the 1980s, “I voted” stickers evolved into an American symbol. In Illinois, they’re even enshrined in state law.

The stickers are cheap, costing less than a penny apiece, which local governments usually pay. Intab still sells its stickers at $7 for a roll of 1,0000. The company sells more than 30 million stickers per year, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

“Others claim to have created that design, but I copyrighted it long ago,” Boudreau said.

In 2024, many states have strayed from the traditional “I Voted” stickers. Some jurisdictions offer multiple languages, and other places have come up with state-themed versions. 

This year, Michigan held a contest for its “I voted” sticker. Nine entrants won, with the wolf sticker gaining significant traction on social media.

“The 9 winning designs will be available for clerks to order and give out to voters this fall as the state’s official 2024 Presidential Election stickers,” according to the press release. pic.twitter.com/UFhqbnnr5u

— Craig Mauger (@CraigDMauger) September 4, 2024

However, all the designs have one thing in common: they are meant to help people silently show they voted while indirectly applying pressure to those who have not. Earlier stickers in the 1980s and 90s were more forward, with messages like “I Voted, Have You?” like that of which Bush Sr. donned.

Still, it’s not clear if the stickers increase voter turnout. Political science experts told the San Jose Mercury News that voters are sometimes motivated by peer pressure and the desire to be part of a movement, which would be present with or without a sticker.

“Social influence made all the difference in political mobilization,” said James Fowler, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego. “It’s not the ‘I Voted’ button or the lapel sticker we’ve all seen that gets out the vote. It’s the person attached to it.”

As early voting rises in popularity in the U.S., with more than 55 million voters already casting their ballots in the 2024 election as of Oct. 31, voting on Election Day has become less of a communal activity than it once was.

During the 2010 midterm election, Facebook tested a personalized, online version of the “I Voted” sticker as part of an experiment. Users had the option of posting the sticker on their profile and seeing a list of friends who’d also voted. Clicking on the sticker would bring users to a webpage showing information about where and how they could vote.

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Facebook claimed that turnout increased by 0.6% among users who saw both pages, resulting in 340,000 more people voting.

Still, even in the digital age, physical stickers continue to have symbolic meaning for some voters. In Rochester, New York, the grave of Susan B. Anthony, the pioneer behind women’s suffrage, stays open through election night as female voters place their stickers on her grave in a meaningful gesture.