We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Entries K-5th Grades
Entries 9th-12th Grades
Blaine County Deputy Clerk & Recorder/Election Manager, Savannah Wendeln announced earlier this month that her office is currently holding an "I Voted" Sticker contest election. This is the office's first-ever sticker contest, and winners will be announced in February.
For anyone interested in viewing the designs and voting, Wendeln has a poster display at the courthouse that features the art of the finalists. The public is invited to vote on their favorites when they are in the building or to make a trip exclusively for this purpose. In explaining the purpose of the contest, Wendeln stated: "We're replacing our old design, which is in need of updating."
The contest was open to any student in Blaine County enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12, and entries were accepted between October 1 and December 12, 2025 in three categories: K–5th, 6–8th, and 9–12th.
According to Wendeln, packets were emailed to all school districts via their art and government teachers or directly to school administrators. Students were invited to design a two-inch "I Voted" sticker. Although the words "I Voted" had to appear in the artist's design, any other elements were up to the designer's discretion. The artwork was submitted to the Election Office at the Blaine County Courthouse as photographs, portable data files, or JPEG files.
From that outreach effort, Wendeln reports that the Elections Office received five submissions from Harlem High School, two from Chinook area elementary students, and fifteen from Zurich Elementary students. These were pre-vetted by Art Teacher Mary-Kate Nienhuis-French for the Office.
About student response to the contest, Wendeln said: "For the first try at an 'I Voted' sticker contest, I'm happy with the submissions, and I'm excited to see the winners printed as stickers and handed out at polling locations on election day."
Stickers with the winning design(s) will be given to all voters during the 2026 Elections. According to the Election Administration, "I Voted" stickers are an opportunity for citizens to show their civic pride after voting. Sticker design competitions are also one way election offices can engage with the communities they serve. In recent years, an increasing number of local jurisdictions have used these "competitions" to further that engagement and to connect the design of the "I Voted" stickers to the community.
Besides the potential for having the prize-winning design printed on stickers as a publication opportunity for the artist, other prizes will be awarded. Wendeln personally purchased a book for the K-5th grade that was written by an election office official in Charleston County South Carolina. She is further researching a prize for the high school winner and will include an award letter with an image of the contestant's winning design. The Elections Office received no entries in the 6-8th grade range from any of the school districts.
Wendeln encourages all Blaine County residents to stop in and vote. Voting is open until the close of the business day on February 17. She will tally the votes and declare a winner on the morning of February 18.
