It’s no secret that many people don’t trust governments to carry out elections fairly. 

Last year the State of Washington turned to ad agency Happy Lucky to help boost electorate trust in its election process, particularly voting by mail. 

The results were positive, including a 36% bump (among those exposed to the campaign) in confidence in Washington’s government “to do what’s best and fair.” Double-digit increases were also reported for awareness of actions taken by the state to make the election process more secure and for overall trust in election officials. 

The agency recently briefed state Election Board officials on the results in advance of a vote by the Washington legislature to extend the campaign to the 2026 midterm elections.  

The agency took a creative pivot away from “voting as an obligation” messaging to create an animated character called “Mark The Ballot” who starred in short videos that explained how the mail-in process and other voting procedures work. Outdoor, print, social and radio ads were also part of the mix.  

The agency also got the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and other sports teams involved. With the Seahawks, team players were recruited to do videos displayed at the stadium during games encouraging voters to vote by mail. Life-sized cutouts of “Mark” also appeared in stadium.  

Happy Lucky did a similar campaign for Oregon in 2022, which led to the work in neighboring Washington.  

“This campaign isn’t just a success story—it’s a roadmap for governments everywhere," says Emily Stutzman, co-owner and CEO of Happy Lucky. "Mark’s bipartisan and disarming approach built trust with skeptical voters and helped restore faith in Washington’s election system.”  

“Reaching the right audience is key to any successful campaign,” added Stutzman.  “By engaging niche demographics—particularly those skeptical of elections—we effectively combated misinformation in a way that was fun, educational, and engaging."