SUNY Chancellor King Announces Voting Open for 'I Voted at SUNY' Sticker Design Opportunity

October 13, 2026

SUNY Students, Faculty, and Staff Can Vote Here for Their Favorite Sticker Through October 15

Part of SUNY's Ongoing Commitment to Increase Civil Discourse, Civic Education, and Civic Engagement

Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced that voting is open for the "I Voted at SUNY Sticker Design" contest. SUNY students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to vote for their favorite student-submitted sticker design by visiting: suny.edu/vote. The winning sticker will be made available at all SUNY polling sites throughout New York State during the November midterm elections.

"A core part of SUNY's commitment to civil discourse and civic engagement is empowering our students and ensuring they feel engaged and a part of the democratic process," said SUNY Chancellor King. "We were thrilled to see so many students engage with this opportunity and I applaud all of the SUNY students who took the time to create and submit sticker designs. This sticker design opportunity is part of our ongoing efforts to encourage civil discourse and inspire nonpartisan civic engagement, including through voting."

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "SUNY's sticker design opportunity brought together students throughout the state to participate in a fun competition, while also creatively taking part in our democracy. We thank all of our students for submitting their sticker designs and congratulate the five students selected as finalists. Whether students are taking advantage of on-campus poll sites, or are voting in their home districts, our priority is to instill in SUNY students a deep appreciation of civil discourse, civic engagement, and the power of building bridges of dialogue and understanding."

SUNY students were invited to submit original designs for the nonpartisan sticker contest, with dozens of submissions sent in from students at SUNY campuses throughout New York State. The finalists include: 

Voting is now open for all SUNY students, faculty, and staff to select their favorite sticker until Thursday, October 15 at 3:00 p.m. The winning design will be made available at polling sites located on SUNY campuses during the 2026 midterm election on November 3. To vote for a sticker and learn more about opportunities to cast a ballot this November, please visit suny.edu/vote.

Megan Ahearn, Executive Director of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), said, "Students working with NYPIRG have registered hundreds of thousands of SUNY students to vote, taking a vital step to involve themselves and their peers in their communities and local governments. We're hearing the buzz about the 2026 midterm elections across the state. The SUNY ‘I Voted’ sticker design contest is another great opportunity for students to put their mark on the democratic process. When a young person votes for the first time, they start building a habit of civic engagement that can last a lifetime. We're looking forward to seeing the creative and meaningful "I Voted" sticker submissions, all with the goal of encouraging students to become lifelong voters."

Jen Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, said, "The "I Voted at SUNY Sticker Design" contest is proof that civic engagement goes far beyond the ballot box on college campuses. We’re proud to work with SUNY to encourage students and faculty to make their voices heard not only by voting in this year’s midterm elections, but in choosing the design they will get to show off when they do."  

The 2026 polling locations list will be updated after final locations are determined by the New York State Board of Elections. In 2024, SUNY hosted 22 poll sites on campuses including:

  • State University of New York at Albany
  • State University of New York at Binghamton
  • State University of New York at Buffalo
  • State University of New York at Stony Brook
  • SUNY Brockport
  • SUNY Buffalo State University
  • Cornell University (SUNY campuses)
  • SUNY Cortland
  • SUNY Downstate Health Services University
  • SUNY Empire State University (Rochester campus)
  • Fashion Institute of Technology
  • Genesee Community College
  • SUNY Geneseo
  • Jamestown Community College (Olean campus)
  • Mohawk Valley Community College
  • SUNY New Paltz
  • Onondaga Community College
  • SUNY Orange
  • SUNY Oswego
  • SUNY Plattsburgh
  • SUNY Purchase
  • Westchester Community College

The "I Voted at SUNY" sticker design opportunity builds on SUNY’s commitment to advancing civil discourse, civic education, and nonpartisan civic engagement among SUNY students. Beginning this fall, the general education requirements for all students include a core competency in civil discourse to ensure students develop strong lifelong skills. Recently, Chancellor King announced the third cohort of Civil Discourse and Civic Education and Engagement fellows, and joined the fellows for a roundtable discussion on Constitution Day. In August, Chancellor King described how public higher education plays an integral role in instilling the value of civic service in students and bolstering democracy in an op-ed published in the Buffalo News. In June, Governor Hochul announced the expansion of SUNY’s Empire State Service Corps program, which connects students with paid service opportunities to give back to their communities. In January, SUNY announced the first round of awards from the "Building Bridges" civic engagement student leadership awards, which provides grants to groups of students working to build bridges across differences on their respective campuses. To further support non-partisan voter participation, over 40 SUNY campuses participate in the national ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge to provide students with free resources to support student voter registration.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.

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