14-year-old’s unconventional “I voted” sticker design winning contest

Ulster County Board of Elections in New York recently opened its second annual "I voted" sticker design contest, asking locals to create their own logos for those election day stickers.

One design by a 14-year-old stands out among the rest. Hudson Rowan drew a big head with kooky, red eyes and a pink-and-purple face. The head has no body, just six turquoise crab-like legs.

People can now go to the county's Board of Elections website and vote for their favorite stickers. Among the six finalists are a sticker of an American bald eagle, an image of a Capitol building, and a woman holding up an "I voted" sign.

And there's Rowan's, which has 93% of the vote.

Ulster County Board of Elections in New York recently opened its second annual "I voted" sticker design contest, asking locals to create their own logos for those election day stickers. One design by a 14-year-old named Hudson Rowan stands out among the rest.

Hudson Rowan

Rowan, who is from Marbletown, New York, said he entered the contest because his mom suggested it. "I wasn't totally psyched at the idea," he said to CBS News. "It didn't sound like my type of thing, so I wasn't totally in on the idea. And then when she encouraged me, so I was like, 'Sure, I'll try it.'"

As for what inspired the design, Hudson said it's something he's always drawn. "I've always been doing those types of drawings … the kind of jagged lines, crazy spider leg drawings, so I think that influenced it, because when I was little I used to paint a lot and I used to paint these things I would call spider robots, which is just a circle with legs," he said. "When you look at the 'I voted' sticker, it looks like the spider robot I used to make when I was little."

The contest will run throughout July, and the winning sticker design will be distributed to voters who participate in the Nov. 8, 2022 election across Ulster County, according to the elections board.

As of now, Rowan's design appears to be a shoo-in. "It's insane how fast that happens and how fast people catch on … and people that aren't even in the county are going out and voting," he said. Ulster County has about 178,000 residents and Rowan's sticker has more than 200,000 votes.

He hopes it encourages people to vote again – in November's midterm elections. "I hope that brings attention to voting and will influence people to vote and cast their vote. And also to get the sticker," he said.

"Hudson's mom said he's hyped his sticker is winning," said Ashley Dittus, the county's Democratic election commissioner. She also said she pledges to print the one with the most votes.

Rowan had no clue the design would make such an impact, but now, it's legendary. "It's so different from what you'd expect when you think of a sticker like that ... when you're scrolling down, all of a sudden you see things thing. Boom!" he said. "Like a spider creature with a crazy head. And it stands out and it catches the eye and I know if I was looking at something in a contest like that, I'd think, 'Bam, that's the one I want to wear.'"