Tri-Cities grad designed the winning ‘I voted’ sticker for a 2nd time
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- River View student wins sticker contest for second consecutive year.
- Her sticker will be mailed with ballots for the Nov. 3 General Election.
- The contest will continue during every even-year general election.
Winning Benton County’s “I Voted” sticker contest once is an accomplishment. A recent River View High School graduate has now done it twice.
Neydin Padilla, 18, secured the winning spot in the contest for the second time in a row, earning another opportunity to showcase her artwork to local voters. The challenge started in 2024 and happens in federal election years.
Her sticker will be mailed out with ballots for the General Election on Nov. 3.
This year, she turned in her drawing on the last eligible day.
“To be honest, I didn’t even think I was going to make the deadline of submitting my design,” Padilla said. “I was hoping I was going to win again, but I didn’t really think I would because I already won once.”
When Padilla first won at 16 years old, voting had yet to become an important topic to her. Now, at eligible voting age, her sticker holds more weight.
“This year, I’ll be receiving my own sticker,” Padilla said. “I’m excited. I want to see how it feels to receive the ballot and get the sticker that I drew.”
Padilla said she’s tried to focus on diversity in her winning drawings. Her first sticker represented hands of different races. The current sticker shows different hairstyles and textures.
“I hope people feel involved. I hope they feel like they belong and like they’re being heard,” Padilla said.
Her passion for art started when she was a little girl, when her uncle helped her practice challenging features.
“Still to this day, he helps me draw faces and gives me some instructions on how to do it,” Padilla said.
Padilla graduated from Columbia Basin College with an associate’s degree alongside her River View High School graduation. She is now committed to Washington State University Tri-Cities where she hopes to focus on art.
“I want to do something that involves art,” Padilla said. “God gave me that gift, so maybe I should use it.”
Amanda Hatfield, Benton County’s elections manager, said three students submitted drawings, but Padilla’s stood out.
“It was vibrant. It’s very patriotic. It’s just well done,” Hatfield said.
Hatfield hopes it will continue to grow and see more engagement from school districts and communities in the county.
