WESTFIELD — The city’s new “I Voted” selfie booth, installed beside Precinct 2, will require visitors to obtain a permit, sign a tripod waiver, and recite a 12-word affirmation of civic joy before photographing themselves with their sticker.
“The affirmation is: ‘I participated in democracy today and my cheekbones have never looked better,'” said booth attendant Tanya Ruiz, whose official title is Curator of Civic Angles. “Twelve words. We counted. Twice.”
The booth — a tasteful backdrop featuring a waving flag, a faux marble column, and what the city calls “flattering, democracy-grade lighting” — was approved by the City Council in a 5-4 vote after a heated debate over whether the column was “too Roman.”
“It’s a column,” said Councilwoman Bea Lawson. “Columns are the architecture of seriousness. We want voters to look serious. Or at least well-lit.”
The tripod waiver releases the city from liability for “tripod-related incidents, including but not limited to: tripping, tipping, and being photobombed by a poll worker named Doug.”
Early reviews are glowing. “I’ve never felt so civic and so contoured at the same time,” said voter Alicia Grant, 29, who visited the booth three times. “The lighting took ten years off. Democracy took ten more.”
The 12-word affirmation has been translated into Spanish, Vietnamese, and what Ruiz calls “a version for teenagers that just says ‘voted, looking good.'” She confirmed the Spanish version “has better rhythm” and is considering making it the default. The booth’s guest book already holds 300 entries, including one reading “came for the sticker, stayed for the lighting — Alicia (x3),” which Ruiz has flagged as “either our best review or a cry for help.”
The booth’s most-photographed visitor remains Alicia Grant, whose three visits are commemorated on a small plaque: “Alicia G. — Civic Icon, 2026.” Grant called it “the highest honor of my life, and I once won a pie contest.” The pie contest, she clarified, “was also civic. Everything is civic if you believe.”
Ruiz is petitioning the city for a second booth — “the ‘We Counted’ annex” — with what she calls “even better lighting, if that’s possible, which it is, I checked.” The council will vote in November. The column stays.
The tripod waiver, Ruiz noted, has been signed 1,200 times “without a single tripod-related incident, which either means the waiver works or the tripods fear us.”
The booth will remain open until 8 p.m. on Election Day, after which it converts to a “We Counted” booth for the tabulation team. “Same column,” Ruiz said. “Different energy.”
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