Sacramento cartoonist creates custom trading cards to reward early voters
By Lee Anne Denyer
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SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — A Sacramento cartoonist is encouraging early voting by creating custom trading cards for voters and highlighting the value of civic participation.
“They’re just little trading cards,” said Eben Burgoon, a Sacramento-based cartoonist. “What I’m kind of doing with them is just kind of rewarding early voters,”
Burgoon has designed pieces like “The Vote-a-Lisa,” inspired by the Mona Lisa, and “The Great Wave off Votagawa,” based on a classical Japanese painting, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
For the last several years, Burgoon has worked elections in Sacramento, turning voting centers into his creative workspace and decorating the walls with his ballot-inspired pieces.
“I think that’s one of the most beautiful parts about our democracy is that there are these civic-minded folks who want to help,” he said. “It’s the American people who really participate in making those things happen and happen safely, happen securely.”
Burgoon’s artistic efforts began as doodles during the downtime he had as a poll worker. He said he felt called to help after Sacramento County put out an urgent need for workers during the pandemic.
“A lot of people didn’t feel safe during COVID to come back out and help with elections,” he said.
He’s continued to work elections since.
The Sacramento Public Library is also supporting voters by opening 13 additional voting centers this weekend. Twenty-six of its branches have drop boxes available, and all locations will be open on Election Day. Five branches will also offer drive-thru ballot drop boxes while polls are open.
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