CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Raleigh County student has been named the statewide winner of West Virginia’s first-ever “I Voted!” Sticker Contest.
West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner announced Wednesday that Reese Childers, an eighth grader at Shady Spring Middle School, won the contest with her sticker design following a statewide online vote.
Warner launched the contest in December with support from county clerks across the state. More than 1,100 eighth-grade students submitted designs, with entries coming from 42 counties.
The contest was open to students in public, private, charter, and home school programs.
Each participating county clerk selected a first-place design, resulting in 42 county winners.
Those entries were then placed into four regional competitions. On Feb. 17, Warner announced four regional winners who advanced as finalists for the statewide contest.
From Feb. 17 through 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, the public was invited to vote online for their favorite design. A total of 15,947 votes were cast during the 10-day voting period.
The statewide winner was announced during a press conference Wednesday at the State Capitol in Charleston.
The announcement followed a forum titled “Civic Learning for a Stronger West Virginia,” hosted by the West Virginia Civics Coalition as part of National Civic Learning Week, observed March 9–13. The forum and press conference were held in the chamber of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
All four regional winners attended the announcement.
They included Mackenzie Blizzard of Trinity Christian School in Morgantown (Region 1), Arabella Piccolomini of Shepherdstown Middle School in Shepherdstown (Region 2), Ellie Crislip of Ripley Middle School in Ripley (Region 3), and Reese Childers of Shady Spring Middle School in Shady Spring (Region 4).
The county clerks represented by the regional winners were Monongalia County Clerk Carye Blaney, Jefferson County Clerk Jacki Shadle, Jackson County Clerk Christina Gossett, and Raleigh County Clerk Scott Van Meter.
Secretary Warner announced that Childers’ design was selected by voters as the 2026 statewide winner.
“We all know the importance of getting our youth interested in elections – this contest did just that,” Warner said.
“I was thrilled to see more than a thousand entries from all over the State! I can only hope our voters follow the lead of our eighth graders and participate in the upcoming election,” Warner said.
As the statewide winner, Childers received a plaque featuring her artwork. Raleigh County Clerk Scott Van Meter was also presented with 11,000 stickers displaying the design, which will be distributed to Raleigh County voters who cast ballots in person during the upcoming primary election.
Childers attended the press conference with her parents, Ben and Crista Childers, along with several family members.
West Virginia’s primary election is scheduled for May 12. The deadline to register to vote or update voter registration is April 21, and early voting will begin April 29. More information about voter registration and absentee voting is available at GoVoteWV.com.
