photo: Dave Thompson, Prairie Public Broadcasting
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – About 2 million new “I voted” stickers are on their way to North Dakota after a Bottineau election official’s design was selected as the winner of the state’s election sticker design contest.
Haylee Senger, deputy auditor of Bottineau County, said her “You betcha, I voted” design was inspired by a Midwestern-themed sticker that said “Ope.”
“Then I got designing, and it kind of came to life,” Senger said. “I just thought it would be fun.”
Secretary of State Michael Howe unveiled the new sticker Thursday at the Heritage Center in Bismarck during a conference for North Dakota election officials.
“An ‘I voted’ sticker, it’s a proclamation that you’ve had your voice heard, that you care about your community and it is a point of civic pride,” Howe said.
Howe’s office received 478 sticker entries from 72 North Dakota communities. Designers ranged in age from kindergarten students to grandparents. Five finalists were selected, and North Dakotans were able to vote for their favorite design in January, Howe said.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong spoke during the conference and told state election officials that even though Republicans and Democrats have different ideas on how to preserve election integrity, they can both agree that North Dakota runs its elections well, which was a testament to everyone in the auditorium.
“The vast, vast, vast majority of the silent majority of North Dakotans are proud of how our elections are run,” Armstrong said. “I trust our elections in North Dakota.”
For example, Armstrong said North Dakota was one of 24 states during the 2024 election cycle where less than 10% of in-person voters on Election Day needed to wait in line for longer than 30 minutes.
The new “You betcha, I voted” stickers will be available during the 2026 primary and general elections with the leftover stickers being used in future elections until the supplies run out.
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