Precinct Captain Sash Design Contest Ends in Tie; Both Sashes ‘Regrettable,’ Say Judges

MAPLE COUNTY — The Precinct Captain Sash Design Contest has ended in a tie, with the judges awarding dual first prizes to two sashes they described, on the record, as regrettable — a verdict both winners have accepted with what observers called admirable grace.

The contest, organized to give the county’s 40 precinct captains a distinguished look on Election Day, drew 28 entries. The co-winning designs: a burgundy sash with gold fringe reading PRECINCT CAPTAIN in iron-on letters, and a teal sash featuring an embroidered ballot box, a gavel, and what the designer called an inspirational eagle that the judges identified as a pigeon.

The judging panel — a retired art teacher, a Joann Fabrics manager, and one precinct captain who recused herself from voting on her own entry — deliberated for two hours. Their written comments, released with the results, praise the winners’ enthusiasm while noting structural concerns: the burgundy sash’s letters peel at the edges, and the teal sash’s pigeon, in the judges’ words, stares into the viewer’s soul.

Contest organizer Felicia Grant called the tie a victory for participation. We set out to make our captains feel special, she said, and 28 people spent their weekends sewing for democracy. That is special, even if the sashes are, as the judges noted, a lot. She then modeled the burgundy winner, which the photographer captured from a flattering distance.

The losing entries included a sash made entirely of I Voted stickers (disqualified on durability grounds), a LED-lit sash (disqualified on fire code grounds, per the holiday decorations policy), and a tasteful navy sash the judges called beautiful but boring, a phrase the designer has had printed on a t-shirt.

The co-winners — Marge Tillinghast, already famous for her ruler-wielding garden gnomes, and first-time volunteer Dev Shah — will each receive a $25 craft store gift card and the honor of having their design produced in bulk. The county has ordered 40 of each, meaning Election Day will feature 20 burgundy captains and 20 teal captains, a division Shah called the sash schism and Tillinghast called fine.

Precinct captains will debut the sashes at the pre-election briefing, where Grant will also distribute the traditional captain’s kit: a clipboard (regulation 9-by-12), a whistle, and a laminated card reading ASK ME, which Grant says answers 90 percent of questions through confidence alone.

The pigeon, for the record, stays. The judges’ ruling was clear: the pigeon is regrettable, the pigeon is final, and the pigeon will watch over Precinct 12 with its unsettling embroidered eyes.