About a dozen states still print party logos on general election ballot. These date from the 19th century and were intended to help voters who cannot read. They are cartoon-like pictures at the top of each party’s party column on the ballot.

Americans Elect has submitted its ballot logo to the Michigan Secretary of State, because Michigan is a state that prints logos on ballots. The Americans Elect logo is simply the name of the party, with “Elect” in bigger letters than “Americans”. Most parties use pictoral symbols. For example, the other ballot-qualified parties in Michigan use these pictures: Democrats have a drawing of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy; Republicans show Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan; the Green Party uses a sunflower; the Libertarian Party has the upper portion of the Statute of Liberty; the Constitution Party has the head of an eagle; the Natural Law Party has a photograph of the earth’s image from space.

An illustration of Americans Elect’s logo will be in the print edition of the July 1, 2011 Ballot Access News.