Winners of the ‘I Voted’ sticker contest. From left to right: Roadrunner & Yucca by Jayden Moya, Adobe Skyline by McKenzie Gallegos, Bold Roadrunner by Io Amswych. Courtesy images
SFCCO News:
SANTA FE — The Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office has received six 2026 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo), recognizing innovative and effective county programs that strengthen services for residents.
Among the honored initiatives is the “I Voted” Sticker Design Program, which engages youth and the broader community by incorporating local art into the voting experience. Open to K–12 students, the program invites participants to design official election stickers, fostering a connection between creative expression and civic participation.
The Youth Civic Engagement Program was also recognized for initiatives such as #KidsVote and “Democracy Delivered.” By creating early voting experiences, Santa Fe County helps build confidence in elections and encourages lifelong civic engagement. Clerk Katharine E. Clark said, “Young people in Santa Fe County are stepping forward, learning how their voices shape our democracy, and realizing they belong in the process.”
NACo also recognized the “Ranked Choice Ready” public education initiative, which prepared voters for the 2025 ranked-choice local election. The program integrated ranked-choice voting education into existing outreach efforts and provided hands-on mock elections using official voting equipment.
Additional awards were presented for the “Accessible Voting Initiative Program,” which includes a centralized accessibility webpage, American Sign Language (ASL) voting information videos produced in partnership with the New Mexico Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, detailed Voting Site Guides for every polling location, and the establishment of a Disability Access Advisory Board composed of community members with lived voting experience.
The Clerk’s Office was further recognized for its “Machine-Assisted Hand Tally” ballot counting system. The Santa Fe County Bureau of Elections, under Clerk Clark and in partnership with ROBIS, developed and implemented this system to modernize manual ballot counting. It standardizes workflows through digital entry, unique ballot identifiers, and a two-step bipartisan verification process.
Each year, NACo’s Achievement Awards recognize outstanding programs in 18 categories that reflect the breadth of county services, including children and youth, public safety, libraries, management, information technology, health, and civic engagement. The National Association of Counties (NACo) represents nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees, working to strengthen America’s counties.
For more information about the awards, visit https://www.naco.org/page/achievement-awards-database and filter for “Santa Fe County.”
For more information about Santa Fe County elections, visit https://SantaFe.vote.
The Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office administers elections, maintains public records, issues marriage licenses, serves as clerk to the Board of County Commissioners and Probate Court, and provides essential services to voters, residents, candidates, and local governments. The office is committed to secure elections, transparent public records, excellent customer service, and continuous modernization.
