Hartwick College ‘I Voted’ Design Competition Winners Named

ONEONTA—On Wednesday, October 8, the Hartwick College Institute of Public Service and the college’s chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, announced the winners of the 2025 “I Voted” Sticker Design Competition.

The contest, held in celebration of Constitution Day, invited students from elementary school through college to create their own version of the iconic “I Voted” sticker. According to officials, dozens of creative entries poured in from across the region, ranging from children as young as 4 to college seniors.

Taking first place in the elementary school category was Maya Patton of Charlotte Valley Central School. Jiya Sugandhi Mangalmurti of Iroquois Middle School won the middle-school category and a Hartwick College student, Jeaicha Sylvain, placed first in the college category.

Fifth-grader Maya Patton’s design, featuring a patriotic cat and a mouse casting their ballots for “dog,” captured the hearts of the four judges, which included three Hartwick College students and an Oneonta High School student.  

According to a press release, the first-, second-, and third-place winning designs will all be printed as official “I Voted” stickers and distributed to voters on Election Day, November 4, at Hartwick College’s brand-new official polling place, “giving these young artists a unique chance to see their work become part of the democratic process.” The stickers will also be shared with the local schools that participated in the competition.

One of the organizers of the design contest, Laurel Elder, professor of political science at Hartwick, said, “Our goal for this competition was to provide a way for the young people of our region to participate in our democracy and get a sense that political participation can be fun.”