Working as part of the U-M Dinners of Democracy program and Turn Up Turnout student organization in 2022, Kane spent a lot of time thinking about how to connect people with voter education. Topics included the politics of renewable energy, redistricting, voting access, voting rights and the future of the Great Lakes.
Wanting to help grow democracy, Kane drew a visual representation of it. “I thought a pot of red, white and blue flowers and the terracotta pot could represent the ‘V’ in vote. I sketched it right out with colored pencils,” she said.
In the months that followed, Kane saw a call for a Campus Vote nationwide T-shirt contest and entered the design. Kane won both the top-placing design and the people’s choice award, which was voted for on Instagram. Journalism and Media Production faculty member Tony Luckett wrote, “Excellent job, Penny.” UM-Dearborn alum Gay Johnson commented, “Love it!”
And what was once a sketch on a piece of paper is now available in the Campus Vote online store.
Kane said she’s seen first-hand the importance of one vote and is passionate about putting a focus on voter engagement. “Every voice matters, so often it comes down to one or two votes,” said Kane, who served as a Campus Vote Democracy Fellow in 2021. “I worked as a poll worker for three different presidential elections. At the end of the night, each time there were only one or two votes separating the winner. A friend at a different poll witnessed the same thing.
Kane said educational sessions and a T-shirt design aren’t going to heal all the systemic challenges to democracy, but it’s important to try different engaging approaches in an effort to start productive conversations and help people move forward in a polarized political climate.
Text by Sarah Tuxbury.
