COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – For those who voted, many of you will have already received or received a unique “I-Voted” sticker. Those stickers were designed by six local El Paso County students, winners of the Clerk’s Office “I-Voted” student sticker contest.
“I didn’t hear back from them at all, so I thought they hadn’t chosen me,” said contest winner Katie Gibbs. “And then my mom got a letter in the mail and she said, ‘Katie, you won!’ And I said, ‘No way!'”
“I turned around and thought, ‘Oh, I’m not going to win. It’s okay, it doesn’t matter. I really don’t care,’” another contest winner, Gianna Durow, explained. “And then I realized I had won… and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s really cool!’”
It is estimated that 140 designs were submitted, from elementary to high school students. The six winners were able to present their stickers at the Board of Commissioners meeting in mid-October, along with their families. The purpose of this contest was to inspire students to participate in the electoral process, even if they are not yet old enough to vote.
“It makes me feel special and it makes me feel like I’m part of the country and that I can contribute to the voting process,” said contest winner Katie Westerhaus.
“Students were chosen from all over the city, from many different schools, although there were only six. I think that touches a lot of different people and gets them excited about the election and the voting process,” explained Gianna Durow’s mother, Patty Durow.
Gianna Durow, an eighth grade student at Classical Academy’s North Campus, was inspired to apply by her art teacher.
“I decided to draw an eagle, because I’ve always liked eagles, and I also decided to add the colors of the American flag in there,” Durow said.
Katie Westerhaus, a sixth grade student at Prairie Winds Elementary School, wanted her design to represent El Paso County.
“I wanted to include the flag of our state and the flag of our country,” Westerhaus told 11 News.
Katie Gibbs, a senior at Village High School, told 11 News she wanted to capture everything about Colorado on her decal, including the colors, the welcome to Colorado sign and the mountains.
“I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember, probably since I could hold a crayon, to be honest,” Gibbs said. “It’s really exciting that people from all over El Paso County are going to receive my sticker. I keep getting texts from people saying, ‘Hey, my brother got your sticker… I got your sticker!’”
click here to see the six students’ “I-Voted” sticker designs.
