Voting Irregularities

We’re deep into tallying the votes from our Best of D.C. Readers’ Poll, in preparation for next week’s issue. The paper ballots have been entered and now we’re sorting out the winners. With over 50,000 nominees, it’s been more than a little tedious and occasionally surprising. Some examples:

• “Best Outdoor Venue” There are exactly as many ways of spelling “Merriweather Post Pavillion” as there are people who voted for Merriweather Post Pavillion. But we persevere.
• “Best Caps Player” One popular nominee’s last name is spelled with at least one and not more than three instances of the letters “c,” “k,” “i”, “o,” “v,” “e,” “n” and “h,” but the final order of these letters appears to be a matter of personal preference.
• “Best Jumbo Slice” Many people simply voted for “Jumbo Slice.” Well, okay.
• “Best Art Gallery” Someone voted for “Hooters.”
• “Best Exhibit” Without naming the overall winner or even the runners-up, we can reveal that Ansel Adams was soundly beaten by Stephen Colbert.