It won’t be mistaken for the Louvre or The Art Institute of Chicago, but once a year our Elections Division transforms itself into a gallery featuring some special and meaningful artwork.

The colored drawings recently on display in the Elections Division conference room were from the 19 finalists in the 2012 Kids’ Art Contest. Each year, our office invites fourth- and fifth-grade students to enter the contest. This year’s winning artwork will be featured in the State Voters’ Pamphlet for the 2012 General Election this fall. The 2011 Voters’ Pamphlet was distributed to about 3.5 million homes statewide in mid-October, so this year’s winning artwork will receive huge exposure.

Secretary of State Sam Reed (above) and Elections Division staffers reviewed the finalists’ drawings and voted on their favorites before Secretary Reed made the final selection. But we’re not revealing the winner just yet! The winning artist will receive a surprise visit from the Secretary at his or her school before the school year ends.

More than 700 students submitted entries. They responded to the theme “If I could vote” and completed the sentence in their art piece to convey what issues are important to them.