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What happens when you ask teens to design a new 'I Voted' sticker?

Answer: You end up with a horrifying demon spider as a front-runner!

An "I Voted" sticker by 14-year-old Hudson Rowen.
An "I Voted" sticker by 14-year-old Hudson Rowen.
Image courtesy of Ulster County Board of Elections
American politics is actually having a good moment on the Internet right now. That’s thanks to the demon spider of Ulster County, N.Y., one of the entries in a contest to have local students design the county’s “I Voted” stickers for this November’s elections.

Fourteen-year-old Hudson Rowan’s design is currently taking the Internet by storm, as it quite aptly encapsulates what voting feels like in today’s political landscape. Featuring a neon head on six blue spider legs, it’s reminiscent of Toy Story’s Babyface. But instead of a decapitated doll’s head, it features a multicolored head that somehow looks exhausted, overcaffeinated, and excited to vote all at the same time. Much like most of today’s voters, really.

The contest, in which anyone can vote, is open until July 29. Local officials started it as a way to get more constituents engaged in and excited about voting, including those who are not old enough to vote yet. “Using online platforms that are popular among those people, like TikTok and Instagram, can be powerful tools to inform voters of their rights, how they can register to vote and ultimately how they can cast their ballot when they are old enough to do so,” said Ashley Dittus, Democratic commissioner of the Ulster County Board of Elections.
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