As National Voter Registration Day (September 17) and Election Day (November 5) approach, let’s take a moment to think about the power of our own voice. Voting is more than just a civic responsibility; it’s our ticket to having a say in the decisions that impact our daily lives, communities, and nation—from local school board policies to fundamental rights.
At Microsoft, we believe that beautiful things can happen when technology, design, and democracy come together to inspire action. So, we’ve put together a downloadable Voter registration toolkit full of open-source designs to help you spread the word about voter registration. From profile picture frames to Teams backgrounds, the toolkit has everything you need to light up your community and social network.
Each design asset steers clear of political clichés, partisan colors, and specific voting issues. We want to encourage everyone to vote, regardless of their political beliefs. Learn more about Microsoft’s commitment to democracy here.
Ready to make your voice heard? In this post, we’ll show you how you can use Microsoft Designer and the voter registration toolkit to celebrate civic engagement and encourage your network to vote. Because every voice makes a difference, and every vote counts!
Register to vote or check your voter registration
Before you start designing, take care of the most important step: make sure you’re registered to vote! Microsoft has partnered with TurboVote this year to simplify the voter registration process and give you easy access to all the info you need to vote securely and accurately.
Visit TurboVote to:
- Register to vote if you haven't already
- Check your current registration status
- Sign up for election reminders
Why check your voter registration?
Even if you’ve voted before, your voter registration can be impacted by changes in name, address, or local regulations and audits. Take a few seconds to confirm that your registration is solid now so you can avoid possible issues on Election Day.
Pro tip
Set a reminder to check your voter registration status at least a month before any major election. This gives you time to update your information if needed!
Update your profile picture or change your social media banner
A great way to inspire action without preaching is to change your profile picture(s) and/or banner(s) on social media. Your redesigned socials can serve as a gentle, constant reminder of the importance of being registered to vote.
The voter registration toolkit includes an array of beautiful profile picture frames and social media banners to use however you like. If you’d rather make a subtler statement, the kit also includes profile icons.
✅ The social media banners are ready to use—just download them and add them to your preferred social platforms as your background.
⭐ For the profile picture frames, we’ll show you how to use Microsoft Designer to quickly add the frame to your profile picture. (If you want to make any design edits to the banners, follow the steps below but opt for a horizontal/banner-sized layout in Step 2).
Here's how to get started:
1. Visit the profile picture frames and/or social media banners and hit the Download button at the top of the page. If needed, unzip the file(s).
2. Upload the banners and/or profile frames to Microsoft Designer:
- Visit Microsoft Designer on your web or mobile browser and log in with your Microsoft account. (Don't have one? Create a free account here.)
- Navigate to Design from scratch and locate the Social media section. Since we’re working on a profile picture, any square social post will do.
- Navigate to the My media tab to upload the profile picture frame(s) and any other design assets you want to work with. Add your profile picture, too.
3. Create your voter registration-themed profile picture or banner:
- Drag and drop your profile picture to Designer's canvas and adjust it so it fills the whole space. If needed, crop the image to a square.
- Optional: Consider positioning your picture higher than you normally would, leaving a bit of room at the bottom of the canvas (see the image below). The frame will cover the bottom of the graphic, and we want you to be seen!
- Drag one of the uploaded profile picture frames to your canvas and adjust it so it fits. (The frames are already transparent, so the hard work is done).
- Optional: Keep editing to add text or graphics, adjust colors, etc. until your picture is exactly how you want it.
- When you’re ready, Download the graphic and add it to your socials. Gorgeous!
Design a voter-inspired social media post
Prefer to create a shareable post about voting? The voter registration toolkit includes downloadable stickers and icons to make it easy to customize your own graphics. Just upload the stickers to Designer and start playing!
General tips on creating your design:
- Start with a background from the toolkit or add a filled shape in the color of your choice to make the background a solid color. For an even more unique look, use Designer's Image Creator to make any background you can dream up.
- Drag and drop elements from the toolkit onto your canvas.
- Use the Text feature to add text to your design. Consider including key dates and deadlines, facts about voting, or inspiring quotes about democracy.
As you design, consider the action you want your viewers to take—whether that’s registering to vote, checking their registration status, or spreading the word to others. That key decision can guide the choices you make for the rest of the design.
Download our free voting-themed coloring book
Coloring can be a fun and relaxing activity for people of all ages. Whether you have kids or just enjoy meditative coloring yourself, our democracy-inspired coloring book will satisfy the creative itch. Just download the coloring book and open it in Designer or print it out to color the pages in by hand.
If you’re a teacher, these coloring books are perfect for lessons on voting and democracy—a fun and easy activity to give your students a break from the hard work of learning. Encourage students to hang their artwork at home, add it to a community center bulletin board, or showcase it in another safe place in their local community. Since your students are likely too young to vote, giving them other ways to participate in the civic process can be so empowering.
Create and send invitations as voting reminders
Looking for a more offbeat and personal way to remind people to vote? Make an invitation. Designer’s invitation maker is so fast and easy, it opens a world of possibilities for creating casual invitations like this.
Make personalized reminders for National Voter Registration Day, Election Day, or both. Then email your invitation to your friends and family directly or post it on social media. By framing voter registration and voting as events worth celebrating and sharing, you’re reminding people that democracy is something to celebrate!
To get started:
- From the Microsoft Designer home screen, find Create with AI and select Invitations.
- In the description, include the occasion and the information you want to communicate (in this case, we won’t need much—just a date, a call to action, and anything else you want to include).
- Optional: if you have a theme or style in mind, add that to your prompt, too.
Prompt: An invitation for National Voter Registration Day on September 17. Be part of something bigger and vote! Check your voter registration at microsoft.turbovote.com.
- Designer will spin up a few invitation options for you. Select the design you like best, then hit Edit to personalize the message inside.
- When you’re ready, Download the invitation as a shareable JPEG or copy it to your clipboard and paste it into email, social media, chat groups, etc.
What if I want a different design?
Since we didn’t specify a theme or style for the invitation above, Designer connected our “Vote” language to patriotic imagery. If Americana isn’t your style, now’s your chance to think about the style you do want and specify that in your prompt.
Feel free to borrow any of these prompts or styles if you like them:
Prompt: An invitation to vote on Election Day on November 5. Soft earth tones and organic design elements. “Every voice counts! Check your voter registration at microsoft.turbovote.com.”
The results:
Prompt: An invitation to vote on Election Day on November 5. Minimalist abstract shapes and geometric designs. “Decide your Tomorrow. Find your nearest polling location at microsoft.turbovote.com.”
The results:
Prompt: An invitation to National Voter Registration Day on September 17. Abstract brush strokes in bright, creative colors. “Create your future. Check your voter registration at microsoft.turbovote.com.”
The results:
Spark democracy with Microsoft Designer
Democracy works when we all participate, and your designs are an essential part of building a vibrant culture of civic engagement. That’s the wonderful thing about design: little by little, it can change the very texture and flavor of the world around us.
With Microsoft Designer and the Voter registration toolkit, it’s easier than ever to express yourself and make your community more colorful. Let’s work together to ensure that every eligible voter is registered and ready to make their voice heard!