Every time the primary rolls around, Janet DeVito pulls out her special cookie cutters from the basement to make political cookies.

Since the 1980s, it has become her custom to whip up a batch of cookies shaped like the symbols of political parties – the elephant and the donkey. To add a touch of geographic flair, she shapes some like the state of New Hampshire.

While she loves baking cookies, it’s DeVito’s way of brightening the day of supporters outside polling stations with their campaign signs and hardworking poll workers.

“I wanted to reward the people that stand outside in cold or rainy weather with signs. It is a thankless task to stand outside,” said DeVito, 72, a retired lawyer in Hopkinton. “It just seemed like they needed something to say thank you for doing this, no matter who their candidate was.”

Over the years, DeVito has become a familiar face at polling stations, adding a sweet note to the democratic process.

 Whenever there’s something to vote on, she tries to be there with her sweet treats.

With her signature red and blue cookies in tow, she has been a constant presence since her move to Hopkinton in 1979, only missing a couple of town meetings but never skipping the primaries.

The recipe for her cookies traces its roots back to her paternal grandmother, handed down through generations.

A day before the election, DeVito starts making the dough for her cookies. Once they are ready to bake, she cuts them into the shapes that represent the parties.

After delicately frosting them, she packs them to be ready to be shared at the polling station the next day.

When offering her homemade treats at the polling station, DeVito receives mixed reactions, she said.

“If people are new to being at the elections, they are often a little bit curious or skeptical. And then there are others who say I thought you’d never get here,” DeVito said as she pulled the warm cookies fresh from the oven.

DeVito remains resolute in continuing this tradition as long as she can stand and carry a cookie sheet.

“I just do it because it’s fun, it’s relaxing. It makes people happy when I share them,” she said.