Students sell t-shirts to fund voting rights

By Veronica Michaels

Carnegie Mellon students Sofia Garcia and Rowan DeJule stand next to the thrifted shirts they screen printed with a “VOTE” design they made. **Veronica Michaels/** Staffwriter.

Forget “I voted” stickers, you can share your dedication to democracy every day with some locally made “VOTE” t-shirts. Last week, sophomore Carnegie Mellon students Sofia Garcia and Rowan DeJule were on campus selling screen-printed, thrifted t-shirts providing information about voting in Pittsburgh.

Over the summer, Garcia found herself wondering how she could contribute to voter engagement this year. She realized the potential for designing clothing that promotes awareness about voting deadlines and excites people.

Garcia texted her friend Rowan DeJule and they began working on a design. Although they initially intended to buy new t-shirts, they decided to thrift them, embracing individuality and sustainability.

The project has been in the works since the start of school, and in only a couple hours, they raised almost $700. The money they raised is being donated to the League of Women Voters, a non-partisan organization that Garcia has previously worked with. The donations help support voter outreach and accessibility.

The print on the shirt has an image of the Duquesne Incline, a Pittsburgh landmark, with the word “VOTE” creating the window shapes. The back is inspired by a vintage plane or train ticket and has Pennsylvania voting deadlines and a link to Vote411, an informative website by the League of Women Voters with all the state-specific voting information you might need.

Their project explores how actions that are not inherently political, like designing clothing, can have a deep influence on people, and how the simple action of selling or wearing shirts that say “VOTE” can start important conversations with people who do not consider themselves political, and it can even be the motivation for people to register and vote.