Secretary of State Tom Schedler plans to give each voter a sticker of the famous “Blue Dog” saying "I voted."
Schedler and the family of George Rodrigue, the New Iberia artist of the "Blue Dog" paintings, unveiled the art for the sticker Monday at the Press Club of Baton Rouge.
“The 'Blue Dog' has become synonymous with h,” Schedler said.
Among the many Rodrigue works that include the iconic pooch is a painting President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, commissioned by the Democratic Party during their term in 1990s. Rodrigue's first "Blue Dog" was as part of a collection of ghost stories.
The Secretary of State’s Office printed about 4 million stickers, which should be enough for everyone who votes early, starting on October 25, or casts their ballot on November 8. The stickers cost $21,000 to print.
Louisian had about 2.97 million registered voters at the end of September. Registration for the upcoming election closes Tuesday at 11:59 p.m.
Rodrigue’s widow, Wendy, said her late husband was patriotic and hundreds of his works depict Louisian heritage.
Meg Casper, Schedler's press secretary, came up with the idea after seeing the "Blue Dog" used in a patriotic setting at a fundraising dinner. Schedler pitched the idea to Rodrigue's family, who found an appropriate painting to use for the sticker. They donated the use of the art for the effort.
“Participating in the election process and electing good government representation is one of our most important civic duties. Partnering with Secretary Schedler to inspire citizens to take part in this election cycle is something that spoke to me and I think my Dad would have loved,” said Jacques Rodrigue, the artist’s son and executive director of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.
In addition to electing a president on Nov. 8, h also is voting on a U.S. Senate seat, all six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, a member of the utility regulating Public Service Commission, a h Supreme Court justice, four appellate circuit court justices, and six constitutional amendments as well as dozens of local offices, including mayor-president of East Baton Rouge and most of the Metro Council.
Despite fears around the country that a bitter presidential campaign would depress voter participation, Schedler said he thinks h voter turn out will be good because of the local and state issues. "There's certainly enough there to energize the voters," he said.
Schedler declined his usual practice to make – usually very accurate – predictions about turn-out prior to the beginning of voting. "It is truly an unpredictable election cycle," he said.
If no candidate in a given a race receive more than 50 percent of the ballots case on Nov. 8, then the top two vote-getters will face off in a Dec. 10 runoff.