CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town Clerk Marilyn Gomeau was disappointed at last year's town election turnout. Fewer than 100 voters cast ballots that day. 

 

She's been thinking of ways to encourage more participation and turned to the town's youngest residents. 

 

They might not be able to vote yet, she said, but it's never too early to get them interested, and then extend that excitement to their parents. 

 

Gomeau's idea was to involve the students at Clarksburg School through a contest to come up with the best "I voted" stickers. The top three have been printed and will be given out to voters in the coming elections. 

 

She and Linda LeWitt of the Board of Registrars said it was hard to come up with the best ones, "they were really very good." 

 

But one in particular stood out, created by Avery Marcil, which showed two hands, one Black and one white, creating a heart with an American flag. It states "Our Future Is in Your Hands."

 

"Her creation was wonderful. It speaks very loudly all about diversity, and that's what we talk about. We talk about diversity, and we all know, there's a lot of diversity in this world," Gomeau said in handing out certificates to the winners last week. 

 

Avery said, "it represents, like, how many people vote, and like, the different colors. I don't really know. I just did it."

 

Alexi Senecal's creation was a white box on a red circle, with "I voted" and a green check in the middle. Faith Field's used a stylized Betsy Ross flag with the "I" on the blue shield and "Voted" with a check on a white stripe. 

 

"Our voter population is very low, and I thought if we got the students involved and parents involved, that maybe you could encourage them to go vote," Gomeau told the three winners. 

 

"When you register to vote, it's very important thing that you continue to do that, go vote, whether it be the town or the state or the president. That's a right that you have, and your voice is always going to be heard when you do that through elections, too."

 

Gomeau and LeWitt estimated there was close to 50 submissions from all grades at the K-8 school. 

 

"Even the younger grades did, which is good, because even though they weren't winners, it still gives them the idea of doing something for the community," she said. "And that's what we want to get. They have them involved in doing things for the community. They're young, but they can still do a lot."

 

There'll be a poster at the Community Center on election day with the three different stickers and who designed them so voters can choose if they wish.