El Paso County students design unique 'I Voted' stickers for competition

Voters receiving their ballots in the mail this year will have six Colorado Springs students to thank for the unique designs on their "I Voted" stickers.

The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office received more than 140 design submissions this year from elementary through high school students. The winning group ranged from fourth to 11th grade and tackled the art project with an imaginative gamut of designs.

The stickers are included with the ballots that the office started sending out Oct. 11, according to El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker.

Christopher Hernandez, a fourth grader at Wildflower Elementary, told El Paso County commissioners Tuesday that his sticker featuring an astronaut holding a flag was inspired by space.

"I was thinking about the first moon landing," he said.

Other students chose patriotic or Colorado-specific designs. Emma Haysley, a junior at Pine Creek High School, said she took inspiration from stamp designs with native state flowers and wildlife.

"I wanted to include symbols of Colorado that weren't your first picks or mainstream ideas," she said.

The project this year was spearheaded by election specialist Sam Ortiz, according to Schleiker. He said all the entries were printed and chosen at the clerk's office.

"The conference table in the clerk's office was completely filled," he said.

The six winners received a plague with their art, 100 stickers to distribute and an Amazon gift card.

"It inspires the younger generation and reminds active voters the importance of the democratic process, and to get out and vote," said Schleiker.