Lebanon County hosts election sticker artwork contest for area school students

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The first Lebanon County election sticker contest for school students is under way.

Students from across Lebanon County can create their own artwork and submit it through March 31 for the contest, according to Jamie Shoemaker, sticker contest administrator and Lebanon County Registration/Elections Bureau staff member.

“Kindergarten through 6th-grade students can submit designs in the future voter category and then 7th- through 12th-grade students may submit designs in the ‘I voted’ category,” Shoemaker said. “So we’ll have stickers for young people that go to the polls with their adults and then stickers for the adult voters that go to the polls.”

Election officials announced the contest at the Jan. 8 meeting of the Lebanon County Commissioners, who unanimously approved the program, and at Ebenezer Elementary School in the Cornwall-Lebanon School District later that day. 

“Every county library already has flyers and forms ready to hand out. I delivered those yesterday and they are excited to be included in this with us. We also have entry forms available on our website in our office and the first few dozen people that come into our office and pick up forms will get a little pack of colored pencils,” added Shoemaker.

Shoemaker said the top 10 entries from each category will be presented anonymously to commissioners, who will pick the winners. 

She said the contest is open to all young people regardless of their educational affiliation. She noted that three districts – Cornwall-Lebanon, Annville Cleona and Lebanon — have been contacted and that homeschool co-ops and cyber schools also received contest information.  

“We will be utilizing social media posts to get the flyer out and get the word out. We will be posting flyers at local businesses with community bulletin boards,” Shoemaker said during the commissioners’ meeting. “When the forms come back to us, I will be checking to make sure we have a release form for each entry and then an internal panel will be choosing the top 10 in each category. Then we’ll present those to you to pick the final winner in each category.”

Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz asked if the contest had as a requirement for artists to include details about the America250 celebration within their entries. 

“No. In the rules we have that they can include images associated with Lebanon County, but it doesn’t have to (have America250),” Shoemaker replied. “(But) They can absolutely include America250 if they’d like to.” 

County administrator Jamie Wolgemuth added the goal is to have the contest winners’ stickers live beyond the coming year’s semiquincentennial birthday celebration.

Commissioners praised the initiative that’s designed to raise civic awareness in Lebanon County’s future voters. 

“I want to applaud you for doing this, the department going the extra mile,” said chairman Mike Kuhn. “You look at all the questions and uncertainties and charges and challenges about fair and safe elections and I think the key is getting involved. The more people we can get involved, the more we can see the process. You have a model program, the state involving students at the high school level and this is taking it to another level.” 

This contest comes on the heels of the highly successful and growing student poll worker program that involves Lebanon County high school students as election employees on election day. About 50 students from various school districts participated in the 2025 municipal election in November.

“The city school district, I think they may have had 33 out of the 47 countywide representatives at the elections on Nov. 5,” said commissioner Bob Phillips. “So, I mean, that’s just a huge, you know, light to shine on that school district for their participation. Hopefully, as Mike said, it’s a model for the state. It’ll spread throughout our county and through the state from what you’ve started. So you’re doing a great job in terms of getting that next generation involved, and we really appreciate that.”

In making the motion to approve the sticker contest for Lebanon County youths, Litz said election officials had “set the bar high” for others to follow.

Sticker contest packets, which contain the rules and regulations, are available to download here.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article misspelled Jamie Shoemaker’s last name. We sincerely regret the error.