You Can Bet on Which License Plate Design Will Win the Vote: Plate 5 Given Best Odds
- New plate design will be unveiled spring 2020
- Four of five plate options feature Lady Liberty image
- Plate 5 opens as early +300 favorite
New Yorkers are heading to the polls to vote on the state’s next official license plate design.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and state officials — under ongoing criticism — have launched an online petition calling on residents to choose the best-designed license plate, which will be unveiled and available to the public in the spring of 2020.
Sportsbooks are also joining the fun, releasing odds on which license plate design will come out on top.
New York State License Plate Design Odds
| Plate Design | Odds |
|---|---|
| Plate 5 | +250 |
| Plate 4 | +300 |
| Plate 2 | +350 |
| Plate 1 | +400 |
| Plate 3 | +450 |
*Odds taken on 08/20/2019.
There are five new plates to choose from, four of which feature the Statue of Liberty in some capacity. All five plates also have the phrase “Excelsior” on them. The early +250 favorite is Plate 5, which depicts images of Niagara Falls, the Statue of Liberty, and the New York City skyline.
Inner creatives: Start your engines.
New York’s license plate is getting a makeover, and residents can vote on its new look.https://t.co/MQi7XkASXH
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 19, 2019
Early indications point to Plate 1 being a dark horse based on +400 odds. The Statue of Liberty is predominantly featured, but this design has drawn criticism in the media. The New York Daily News called it “amateurish” as if it were designed by a “middle-schooler.” Only Plate 3 has longer odds than Plate 1.
Similar in design to the first plate, Plate 2 offers a scaled-down image of Lady Liberty at full opacity. There are inconsistencies in the letter spacing, which hurts the design slightly. Yet, it still comes in at +350. Only Plate 5 and Plate 4 have better odds.
Odds Statue of Liberty Image Appears On License Plate
| Statue of Liberty Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes – On The New License Plate | -600 |
| No – On The New License Plate | +400 |
The only plate that doesn’t feature Lady Liberty, Plate 3 has an image of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, named after the father of the current governor. It’s flat and lacks detail, which is why it’s the +450 underdog to be selected as the state’s next license plate.
Plate 4 shows the Statue of Liberty’s hand holding a torch and also uses an elegant typeface for the words “New York”. The phrase Excelsior is hard to make out over the torch graphic. Despite its flaws, Plate 4 is still a +300 favorite.
Plate 5 features graphics of Niagara Falls, Lady Liberty at smaller scale with the New York City skyline in the background. It uses inviting, elegant typefaces and isn’t as busy as the other candidates, making it the early favorite.
The new plate will replace the current Empire Blue & White versions, which have been around for 10 years.
GOP leaders rip Cuomo's license plate replacement program https://t.co/sfe98rahpr pic.twitter.com/dv0LtE4XBj
— New York Post (@nypost) August 20, 2019
The top vote will become New York’s official license plate available to public in April 2020.
Voting, which is only open to New York State residents, ends on Monday, Sept. 2 at 11:59 p.m.
All the plates have strong details and noticeable flaws. However, look for Plate 2 to emerge as a top candidate, despite its letter spacing flaws. The full version of Lady Liberty should make it a popular choice among New Yorkers.
Pick: Plate 2 (+350)
Angelo Montilla is a writer, visual design instructor and graphic designer based on the East Coast. As a journalism graduate, his experience in the media industry spans more than 15 years and includes work with Nation Network, SportsBreak, Featurd, Hockey Writers and the Windsor Star.
