UNLV student designs exclusive "I voted" sticker to encourage voter turnout

The anticipation surrounding the 2024 General Election continues to grow and so has the hype behind obtaining some exclusive ‘I voted’ stickers.

With more than 100 polling locations for Clark County voters to cast their ballots this election, UNLV’s Lied Library is the only place where voters can obtain the uniquely designed ‘I voted’ sticker that pays homage to several areas across southern Nevada.

“I wanted to prioritize UNLV colors and branding and I also wanted to celebrate student voting at UNLV,” said UNLV senior and art major, Niko Navalta.

Since submitting and winning UNLV’s “I voted sticker contest” Navalta has become the talk of the university’s campus after their design received more than a percent of the vote.

“I’ve noticed people walking around with their stickers that they are wearing and a lot of other people have also told me oh I’ve put my sticker on my laptop or I've put my sticker on my water bottle. So it's cool like some people are wearing it, other people are saving it,” Navalta said.

Navalta says part of what sparked their interest in designing the memento for the 2024 General Election was their experience as a first-time voter; saying they wanted to remove barriers surrounding intimidation at the polls.

“I turned 18 in 2020 and so that was the first election I ever voted in and so there as a lot of, I remember sort of the tension sort of feeling like ‘oh it's such a big deal’ and with this, I wanted to make the appeal of voting more approachable,” Navalta said.

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After more than 20 submissions and six finalists, Navalta’s design was selected for its representation which showcases the Nevada state outline, some iconic Las Vegas strip locations, and the overall inclusivity of UNLV students and school colors.

“I have told my friends that if you want the sticker you have to go vote at Lied Library. So, I have been telling people in social media and people I know in real life, like if you want the sticker go to Lied Library.”

Navalta says not only has their design opened up the conversation surrounding voting, but has also encouraged more people to head to the polls and cast their ballots.

“It’s cool to see sort of a direct impact like something that quite frankly didn't take me very long like yeah it took me like a day to sketch it out and maybe a day to make it, but it's inspiring to see other people inspired to vote because of it,” Navalta added.

Part of being selected as the contest winner, Navalta was also awarded $100 in Rebel Cash for their design.