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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How can I vote for my favorite business when I don't see them listed?
Look for the write-in box at the bottom of each category:
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You can type the name of your choice. If someone else has already nominated them, the name will begin to autofill as you type. Select your choice and then click on VOTE. If you are the first to nominate that business, you will need to type out the full name to the best of your recollection, then click on VOTE.
Don't worry if you can't remember the exact name, we usually know what was intended and will merge votes as needed.
For example Red Banner Coffee Roasters has previously been nominated as "Red Banner," "Banner," or even their old name. We add all these votes together before final tallies.
Q. Do I have to vote for everything in one sitting?
No. You can come back any time while the ballot is open to continue voting or even change your selection. The ballot should remember you unless you deleted your cookies. Even if that is the case, when you enter your email again, your previous selections will be remembered.
If you change devices, a verification email will be sent to you after you start voting on the new device.
Q. Can I vote in only a few categories or even just one?
Yes. Though we do encourage you to help choose more than that.
Q. I'm having problems getting my vote to count on my phone. Is there a problem?
Possibly. For some reason, voting via phone was flaky last year. Sometimes it worked, then other times it didn't. We hope the experience has improved this year, but we can't know for sure. If you start to have problems you may want to pause and continue voting from your laptop or other computer. Otherwise, keep trying, it will eventually accept your vote.
Q. I see a lot of advertisements, is this contest fair?
There are advantages to advertising. It brings name recognition and guides supporters.
But ads don't tell the full story. Many of the businesses that advertise are also engaged with their customers either through personal connections or through social media. Those businesses go out of their way to build support and excitement. This can make all the difference. Much like a political candidate, they are getting their name out there and helping people know how to support them.
Whatever advantage advertising provides, the only determining factor is the number of votes received when the contest ends.
Q. How do I get my business featured on the ballot?
Unfortunately, the ballot is locked for the 2023 People's Choice Awards, and we are unable to add businesses at this time. Please contact us at peoples-choice@semissourian.com so that our team can get in touch with you as we begin preparing for 2024's contest!
This year, we encourage you to promote write-in votes for your business using our FREE People's Choice Tool Kit. These graphics can be found here. Then follow these simple steps:
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Ask your customers to vote for you.
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Send them to www.semissourian.com/peopleschoice
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Tell them what category to go to.
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Finally, that they need to write your name in to vote for you.