The SLO County Elections Office has announced the winners of “I Voted” sticker design competition

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The votes are in, and the SLO County Elections Office has two new official “I Voted” sticker designs. The winning designs, by Old Mission School third-grader Melanie Rathbun and San Luis Obispo High School senior Joanna Rawlings, were selected from among 20 entries, with votes cast by mayors of the seven SLO County cities.

“The entries were so fun and creative,” said Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano. “It made us very proud to present the mayors with such a great group of designs, and we appreciated their help in determining which entries rose to the top.” The new stickers will be available at both the San Luis Obispo and Atascadero elections offices beginning Oct. 7, and they will beat all polling locations throughout the county on Election Day, Nov. 5.

There were two age divisions, grades 3-6 and grades 7-12. As it turned out, competition was stiff, and the Cano decided to award an additional honorable mention to Rudd Larson, a fifth-grader at Georgia Brown Elementary School, who happened to have submitted the very first entry in the inaugural contest. A smaller number of his sticker design will also be printed and available to voters as well.

The American Bald Eagle featured prominently in both of the winning designs. Rathbun’s design also included the words“Liberty,” “Freedom,” “Justice,” and the Liberty Bell, while Rawlings’s design featured the green hills of the San Luis Obispo County landscape.

An initial print run of the stickers has already been completed, and the clerk-recorder plans to present copies to the winners in person ahead of public distribution. Cano is also sending a personal thank you to each student who entered the contest.

Feature Image: The winning designs of the “I Voted” sticker design contest, by Old Mission School third-grader Melanie Rathbun (top left) and San Luis Obispo High School senior Joanna Rawlings (top right), were selected from among 20 entries, with votes cast by mayors of the seven SLO County cities. The bottom design, submitted by Georgia Brown Elementary fifth-grader Rudd Larson, won honorable mention. Photo provided by SLO County Elections Office