Official Rules

Official rules

Voting is restricted to one vote per computer. Totals registered by our servers will be considered final.

Voting in each category will run from six-ish Monday until six-ish the following Monday. We're human, so there might be a little variation on when voting will begin and end. But we'll count votes until we officially end the voting.

Oh yeah, if you decide to cheat — like using some sort of automated voting — we reserve the right to delete you from the list of nominees, reset our poll to zero votes at an arbitrary time or just eliminate you from the final results. How we decide to do this is up to us, but nominees getting many votes per minute will be prime suspects, as will those getting all their votes from too few IP addresses.

We'll also eliminate you as a nominee in any future similar contests sponsored by ExploreSpring.com or our company's other sites and publications.

Again, the way to get lots of votes is to get the word out to your customers by e-mail, your own web site, signs in your business or wearing a sandwich board.

If your business wins your category, we're fine with you advertising that you were voted "Best of Spring-Klein" in your category, just as long as you mention that the voting was on ExploreSpring.com. Put it on signs, coasters, tattoos or menus — everyone should know how good you are.

Here's How To Get Started:

Nominate

A few weeks before the official polls open, we ask the community to pick nominees. Click on the categories you are interested in and nominate your favorite business in each category. To be included in the final vote each business must receive a minimum of 3 nominations with a 50 -100 word description as to why they are the best. The businesses with the most nominations will run in the official polls. The top ten nominees will be included in the final vote. To be eligible the nominee must be located in the Spring or Klein area which include all area covered these zip codes 77373, 77379, 77388. Also businesses within these boundaries 77389 South of West Rayford, 77380 & 77386 south of Sawdust Road are eligible.

Deliberate

After nominations close, come back, vote on your nominees in the Best of Spring-Klein polls. If you don’t come back to vote: Your favorites will not win unless the people (that’s you!) say so. Voting lasts for one week. After the polls close, the votes are tallied and checked for accuracy and fraud, then unveiled online so you can see the winning businesses in each category.

Celebrate

We’ll tally your votes and roll out the winners. See, told you it would be easy. All winners will then automatically receive a Best of Spring-Klein badge and business listing on ExploreSpring.com.

Can I nominate my favorite business?

Yes, users can nominate their favorite businesses.

How does the nomination process work?

ExploreSpring.com gives every business a fair shot in the nomination process. A few weeks before the official polls open, we identify businesses eligible to be nominated based on their business category. So, every pizza place in Spring or Klein is eligible to be nominated for the “Best Spring-Klein Pizza” poll. Once these businesses are identified, we will notify each business of their eligibility. When the polls open for voting, all nominees are notified and encouraged to ask their customers, friends and family to nominate and vote for them. It will increase the chances of your favorite business making the cut.

Can I pay to get my businesses placed in the official polls?

No, Best of Spring-Klein is not pay-for-play. Businesses are selected based on user nominations. It doesn’t matter if you’re a customer or not. However, you can increase the chances of your business running in the official polls by treating your customers well and encouraging them to nominate you.

How many times may I vote?

You can vote one time per poll and that’s it – there’s no ballot-stuffing going on here. It’s important that we maintain the integrity of each poll, so we analyze all data to ensure that no one’s trying to game the system. Votes from cheaters are automatically thrown out.