Get Out the Vote is an initiative by AIGA, the professional association of design, to encourage the American public to participate in the electoral process and vote for a presidential candidate. Designers from across the United States are invited to submit nonpartisan posters aimed at encouraging the voting public (or non-voting public as the case may be) to shun apathy and participate.
The initiative began in 2000 and was repeated for the electoral campaign of 2004 where 50,000 posters were printed and displayed in public places in communities across the states. AIGA are accepting submissions for this years campaign and so far here are a few that have caught my eye.
Jeff Bucholtz - Why vote?
Travis Wiley - Patriots vote
The American flag is built upon America’s vote.
Elizabeth Maplesden - Vote for me
Vote, or you may end up with a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Marc S Levitt - Fists of liberty
Vote for the one you love. Veto the one you hate.
Katie Hatz - Vote: No more excuses
In today’s fast-paced society, people will give any excuse to avoid going out of their way to vote, forfeiting their voice in the democratic process.
Andrew Smith - S(Elect)
Arlene Jimenez - Writing on the wall
The writing is on the wall…VOTE.
Now I don’t know much about American politics other than the electoral process seems to ramble on for ever, so it’s refreshing to see something creative and inspiring emerge from the process.
What do you think of the few examples I have highlighted above? Do you have any favourites? Do you think this is the sort of initiative that would inspire you to Get Out the Vote?
5 fantastic comments
They look beautiful, great stuff. Thanks!
There are some great designs and clever ideas among the group you’ve showcased. I can’t help wondering how many of the designs have targetted the most politically disenfranchised groups in the US i.e. the people who are least likely to vote. A lot of these posters look like they’d fit right in on a college campus, and it’s important to encourage young people to vote, but college campuses have a lot of very politically aware people already. That’s my two cents’ worth, and I live in one of the few countries in the world where voting is compulsory (Australia) so you’ll never see a campaign like this down my way! My favourite poster among the ones here are the flag design - beautifully done, and nice handling of the patriotism theme that would resonate so well with a lot of American would-be voters. But as stand-alone designs they’re all great.
The current elections are so highly publicized that I’m surprised to see that there are campaigns to get Americans to cast their votes? It’s a historic election — when else did they have an African-American and a woman fighting for the presidency?
Politics aside, I really like all those posters, especially the “s(elect)” one — very clever.
liam - No problem, glad you enjoyed them.
Tracey - I can’t speak for the situation in the US, but in this country (UK) there is a big problem with some young people deciding not to vote. It’s interesting to learn that in Australia voting is compulsory.
Vivien - I agree - sometimes it feels as if the American elections get more publicity in this country than our own politics. Certainly if either of the Democrat candidates actually become president it will be a very significant and positive moment in history.
The flag would be my favourite - it reaches out on several levels.
What are your thoughts?
