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n recent years, “I Voted!” stickers have become a popular tradition at polling places, giving voters a way to proudly display their participation in the election process.
Now, eighth-grade students from around West Virginia (including those in the Kanawha Valley) are invited to participate in the "I Voted!" sticker design contest, hosted by the West Virginia Secretary of State's office.
This sticker design contest gives young West Virginians an opportunity to showcase their talent and creativity while learning about the importance of civic engagement.
“Voting is the cornerstone of our constitutional republic,” West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner said. “By involving students in this contest, we hope to inspire the next generation of voters and encourage them to take pride in participating in elections.”
Warner said that several other states host similar sticker contests to create interest and participation in their upcoming election. West Virginia's Primary Election is scheduled for May 12th.
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The contest is open to all eighth-grade students enrolled in public, private, or home schools in West Virginia. Students are asked to submit their designs to their respective County Clerk's Office by Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.
Public and private school students can submit their designs directly to their designated teacher. Home school students must have a parent or guardian submit their design to their resident County Clerk. The Kanawha County Clerk's Office is located at 409 Virginia St. East in Charleston.
Stickers must include the phrase “I Voted!” and reflect themes of civic pride and/or West Virginia heritage.
There will be three phases to the judging process: a county competition, regional semi-final competition, and statewide final competition.
At the county level, all submissions will be judged by the County Clerk's office and a team of local citizens selected by the County Clerk.
County winners will move on to the regional semi-final competition, which will be judged by a panel of four anonymous individuals selected by the Secretary of State. (The four geographical regions are detailed in the official rules, which can be accessed here.)
The regional semi-final competition panel of judges will be made up of one person from each of the four county regions outlined in the official rules. Those judges will select one design from each region to compete in the statewide final stage of the competition. The 2026 Statewide Winner will be selected by the general public, who will vote for their favorite design on the West Virginia Secretary of State's Facebook page.
The four regional winners will be invited by Secretary Warner to visit the State Capitol to attend the announcement of the 2026 Statewide winner.
The winning statewide design will be featured on stickers distributed at polling places in that student's home county during the 2026 elections. The student artist who wins the statewide competition will also be recognized by the Secretary of State and receive a special award for their contribution.
