TORONTO -- The most disappointing turn of events for some forlorn voters this election was the lack of congratulatory stickers at the polling stations.

The stickers, which say “It’s Our Vote” but are colloquially referred to by voters as “I voted” stickers, were part of the Community Relations Officers’ pre-election outreach kit. More than 650,000 stickers were printed ahead of time and distributed to youth, Aboriginal electors, seniors, ethno-cultural communities and the homeless.

Some polling stations handed them out to voters on election day but not all voters were given the token, to their chagrin.

Elections Canada spokesperson Dugald Maudsley said the stickers were never necessarily meant for distribution on election day but rather an attempt to drum up awareness about the election process.

“From what we’re seeing on social media, it looks like they were very popular and that their role changed from raising awareness to celebrating a vote,” he said. “That probably explains why they ran out – they weren’t really intended for election day.”

Voters lamented the situation on social media throughout the day Monday, expressing frustration and threatening to make a formal complaint to the “manager of Canada.”

 

 

One mother said she was “choked” about the situation as she promised her daughter a sticker in an effort to convince her to accompany her to the polling station and engage in the civic process.

 

 

Another voter went so far as to call the lack of stickers “a scam” and, true to the communication style of 2019, created a meme to express his anger at the situation.

 

 

But it turns out that some voters were luckier than others. Some electors humbly bragged about receiving the token, taking photos to show off the coveted sticker to their friends.

 

 

Some Canadians refused to give up, even offering to trade something far more valuable in exchange for the prize.

 

 

Despite their disappointment, Canadians were mostly…well, Canadian about the situation, accepting the situation politely and with grace and reminding fellow voters to keep their eye on the real prize – the vote itself.