Ulster County Board of Elections Key Master Dina LaRose shows a roll of the sticker that won Ulster County’s ‘I Voted’ design contest (Pictures: Twitter/@KaleighRogers)
When elections officials in one county held an ‘I Voted’ sticker design contest, they didn’t expect it to go viral – and for monster spider-looking submission to win.
A 14-year-old boy’s artwork of a six-legged creature with red eyes, a pink and purple face and multi-colored hair and teeth won about 228,200 of the 243,000 votes cast, or 93%.
The five other front-runners – all following traditional red, white and blue or US government themes – each garnered 3% or less of the vote.
Roughly a week before the midterm elections, it became apparent that officials in Ulster County, New York, kept their promise of printing the winning stickers.
‘It really did win, and they are using it for the current election,’ tweeted FiveThirtyEight reporter Kaleigh Rogers on Wednesday, along with a photo of a poll worker holding a roll of the unconventional sticker.
The sticker is being handed out at polls for early voting. Elections workers say it has driven up turnout and excitement.
Laura Wyatt went to the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center in costume after a Halloween celebration and brought her two young children. After the mother voted, all three of them received stickers, according to the Daily Freeman.
‘It’s a monster spider,’ said Wyatt’s five-year-old daughter, Clara.
Hudson Rowan’s design won a resounding 93% of votes in the contest that went viral (Picture: Ulster County Board of Elections)
Close to 700 voters turned out on Saturday when the polls opened, according to Dina LaRose, a key master at the site who has worked 19 elections.
‘It’s definitely gotten more people out for the first day,’ she told the newspaper. ‘I’ve never seen this many people for a midterm.’
Larry Grenadier said he was excited to get one of the stickers and that early voting makes it convenient for people to reach the polls.
‘I think it’s a great idea,’ he said of the sticker. ‘These are highly coveted.’
Ulster County election workers said the ‘I Voted’ spider sticker boosted turnout and excitement at early voting polls (Picture: Twitter/@KaleighRogers)
For its second annual I Voted sticker contest open to 13-to-18-year-olds, the Ulster County Board of Elections chose six finalists, and the public voted through July.
The winner, Hudson Rowan, was honored for his eye-catching design in mid-October.
‘I think my sticker inspired so many people because it was so different and stood out. The feeling of the design is relatable,’ Rowan said at the time.
‘I am glad to hear my sticker is energizing and inspiring people to want to vote.’
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A 14-year-old boy’s ‘monster spider’ design won an ‘I Voted’ sticker contest that went viral.
