Fresh design meets new voter in 2026 election
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Alexis Prowell shows off the America-250-themed “I voted” sticker she received after casting her first ballot as a first-time voter. - Jake Nichols
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Darlene Prowell, left, and her daughter Alexis cast their ballots on Election Day last Thursday, Aug. 6. Alexis Prowell credited her mother for getting her out of bed that morning to fulfill her civic duty as a first-time voter. - Jake Nichols
On Thursday, Aug. 6, numerous voters stepped into the sunshine at Farragut High School.
Each person had just cast a ballot for the 2026 Knox County Primary Election, and they wore the new stickers to prove it.
While the previous Tennessee sticker included the red and blue state outline and a tri-star, this design features American and Tennessee state flags with fireworks to honor America’s 250th anniversary.
The commemorative design was unveiled on Wednesday, July 15, by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett.
“The 'I Voted' sticker is more than a keepsake — it is a badge of honor that proudly shows friends, family and neighbors that you participated in one of our nation's most cherished traditions: voting,” Hargett stated in a release. “This year's special edition is especially meaningful as it commemorates America 250, celebrating 250 years of our nation's history while reminding us
that the right to vote remains one of the greatest privileges of American citizenship."
The sticker certainly is special for those reasons, but it strikes an even deeper chord for Alexis and Darlene Prowell.
The mother-daughter duo walked along the same sidewalk as the other voters who turned out to vote at FHS, but Alexis Prowell carried a unique distinction as a first-time voter.
“My mom dragged me out of bed and said. ‘You need to vote,’” said Alexis, a student a Pellissippi State Community College. “It was horrifying and scary because I didn’t know what I was doing.
“I made it through, though. I survived and got the sticker. It’s not a bad sticker either, but it’s bothering me that the thing in the middle is slightly off-center. That’s my only real gripe with it.”
Alexis joked that the aforementioned stickers — the ones featuring the state outline — were “kind of iconic, too.”
The more important aspect, though, came from her willingness to fulfill her civic duty in the first place, even if she was scared to do so.
“It’s exciting,” Darlene Prowell said of her daughter’s accomplishment. “I’m really happy she was able to get out and vote. And I told her this is good practice for two years from now when she goes to vote again. Now she knows the process and everything.”
