Oddball ‘I Voted’ Makeover Designed By Teen Takes The Lead In New York Contest

Screenshot via Ulster County Board of Elections

You can find all sorts of characters in the city that never sleeps, and this fact has culminated into a standout, fever-dream design being the crowd favorite for an ‘I Voted’ sticker challenge in upstate New York.

There must be something in the water, potentially the same that makes bagels, but a spider-like creature with six appendages, bulging, bloodshot eyes, and rainbow hair and teeth has crawled its way into the top position at the ‘Ulster Votes I Voted Sticker’ contest launched by the Ulster County Board of Elections.

The contest, hosted for the second year running, invites students aged 13 to 18 to propose voting day sticker designs. In a sea of patriotic red, blue, and white, the psychedelic, multicolored illustration with hand-scribbled text stood out.

14-year-old Hudson Rowan of Marbletown described to WAMC that he was clueless about what to draw at first but rejected his mother’s suggestion to work on something patriotic. He ended up wanting to do “something completely different.”

The young artist told the Albany Times Union that the beast depicted isn’t of a spider or even “a set thing,” and that he made the creature colorful to “catch the eye,” although he truly did not expect people to pick this design.

Rowan’s desire to be different paid off. His artwork is now leading all finalists of the contest by a long shot, amassing a whopping 153,900 votes. The runner-up, Kaden Bredberg, 18, trails behind with 1,900 votes.

The student’s entry has naturally earned the popularity vote on social media.

there is an “i voted” sticker competition in ulster county & i urge you to vote for this one pls https://t.co/ZYqw6ldl1W pic.twitter.com/I6XTCUdF69

— sammy maine (@sammymaine) July 5, 2022

The submission isn’t just revered by the public but also the board, with Ashley Dittus, Democratic Commissioner for the Ulster County Board of Elections, telling the Times Union that it is “a fan favorite” with everyone in the office.

As both the Big Apple and Apple have encouraged: Think Different.

[via New York Post and Upstate New York, images via Ulster County Board of Elections]