Help Us Pick an Election Mascot for the United States

All good things have mascots. Think about it. The board game Monopoly has the Monopoly man. Planters has Mr. Peanut. Kool-aid has the Kool-aid Man. (But he is not a good mascot, in that he is terrifying.) Sports teams have mascots, and sometimes they’re really hot, or they let you know it’s time to get up and dance by getting in front of everyone and shaking their ass. In short, mascots are cute symbols of a good time, and more good things should have them. More good things like Election Day.

Tuesday is Election Day in the United States, in case you didn’t know, and the Jezebel staff has just been made aware that Japan has a very cute election mascot named Meisui-kun. Meisui-kun is bright yello, very happy (because of voting), and is designed to look like a mix between a cat and a ballot box. (The slots on the top of its head are where your vote goes.) Meisui-kun comes to us from the Association For Promotion Fair Elections in Japan, and has been around since 2000.

The U.S. doesn’t have an election mascot, but what would it even be if we did? Jezebel senior editor Katie McDonough suggested a “feral raccoon biting you if you try to vote.” (I don’t know where she gets these crazy ideas.) Kelly Faircloth, senior writer, suggested Yosemite Sam, which works because Yosemite Sam is just a walking mustache in a ten-gallon hat, and terrifies me to think about (like the future of our country). Ashley Reese, staff writer, said our election mascot would be any of the animals featured on the Twitter account @RacistPets. I found that compelling, but I wasn’t sure why.

Personally, I think our election mascot should be cuter than these, but I’m having a hard time coming up with ideas. Maybe a racist dog that’s really fluffy? Or maybe some outdated voting machines, but with a big yellow smiley face where the screen should be? Should Nate Silver be our mascot? Maybe a really fluffy Nate Silver. Hmmm.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments below! And don’t forget to vote! (Please.)