Talia Anderson of Port Angeles was the winner of the 2014 Kids’ Art Contest, which celebrated Washington’s 125th birthday. (Image courtesy of Elections Division) 

Our office is inviting Washington’s fourth- and fifth-graders to enter the 2015 Kids’ Art Contest!

This year’s theme is “Every Vote is Equal!” to honor of the 50^th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Students are encouraged to discuss the importance of this landmark piece of legislation in their submissions.

This Voting Rights Act ensured that a person’s right to vote cannot be denied because of their race or color. It makes policies like poll taxes or literacy tests, which had been used to discriminate against many African Americans, against the law. Passed in 1965, this act represented decades of hard work and sacrifices from activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.

“Americans today could not truly call ourselves free if it hadn’t been for the Voting Rights Act,” said Secretary of State Kim Wyman. “Fifty years later, we should celebrate this major achievement in equality and the voice it gives all citizens regardless of skin color.”

Submissions must be in by April 15.

The winning artwork celebrating voting equality will be published in 3 million copies of the next statewide Voters’ Pamphlet. All fourth- and fifth-grade students in Washington’s public, private, tribal and home schools are welcome to submit their original art.

The official contest rules and entry form are available here.