12 APS students to have their art featured on "I voted" stickers

Since taking office eight years ago, Bernalillo County Clerk Linda Stover has been thinking of ways to get schoolchildren involved in and excited about elections.

Prior to the pandemic, she was in discussions with officials from Albuquerque Public Schools about a contest that would invite elementary, middle and high school students from across the district to design and submit “I Voted” stickers.

“We wanted to do it right at the pandemic,” Stover said. “We had it all set up with APS. Then the pandemic hit and it kind of died on the vine.”

Then Stover decided to bring it back ahead of this November’s general election. Once again partnering with APS, Stover’s office put out the call in March for students, from kindergarten to 12th grade, to design “I Voted” stickers.

“I’ve eagerly awaited the opportunity to initiate this project, and I’m thrilled that it’s finally happening,” Stover said then. “I can’t wait to witness the creativity and passion that students will bring to this project.”

Over the course of the next month, more than 280 students submitted sticker designs to Stover’s office. The clerk and her staff sifted through the designs and eventually whittled to 12 the number of stickers to be handed out to voters come November.

In honor of their hard work, Stover invited several artists to be recognized during an APS art show in April. Among those honored was Del Norte 11th grader Aubrey Vanderlip.

Hailing from a family of artists, Vanderlip saw the sticker contest posted on one of her classes’ Google Classroom announcements and decided to submit her own design.

“My family was telling me to try and make something really eye-catching, and I was thinking of doing something New Mexico-related,” she said. After brainstorming some ideas, Vanderlip landed on the decision to feature the Zia symbol and a yellow background on her sticker, reminiscent of the state flag.

Featuring the phrase, “I Voted” with the Zia symbol taking the place of the “o” in “Voted,” Vanderlip submitted her design in April.

“When I heard there were students all across Bernalillo County that entered, I thought it was really cool that there’s so many designs out there,” she said. “I thought mine was really eye-catching and simple, and I was hoping that I would be one of the top finalists.”

After waiting several weeks, Vanderlip received a message from her teacher over spring break informing her that she was selected as one of the 12 finalists to have a sticker handed out during the election.

“I was really honored and happy,” she said. “It was such a cool thing to be a part of.”

In addition to being recognized at the art show, Vanderlip and her family were also invited by Stover to be honored with a proclamation during Tuesday’s Bernalillo County Commission meeting.

At a table featuring the designs of all 12 stickers, Stover spoke to everyone who passed by about the program and how much the sticker meant to her.

“It makes me really happy to see such positive, good things, and these stickers just turned out fabulous,” Stover said.