Public-Vote Contests by State: Counts for All 50 States + DC
Best of Utah voting belongs to 37 recurring public-vote programs we track in Utah, against 264 in California, 263 in Texas and 11 in Washington, D.C. Every count is the number of distinct organizers with at least two editions on record, taken from a contest database snapshot dated 2026-10-02 (programs seen 2018-2026). Thirty-six states reach tier A on checked evidence; Utah, the Dakotas, Alaska, D.C. and ten others sit in tier B and appear in this directory only.
By Victor Brown · Last updated
How many public-vote contests run in each state, by our count?
California holds 264 recurring public-vote programs in our tracking, Texas 263 and Florida 262, while Washington, D.C., has 11, Alaska 18 and North Dakota 19. The middle state on the list sits at 74. Each figure counts distinct organizers with at least two editions on record in a contest database snapshot dated 2026-10-02.
A count of organizers is a count of doors, not of crowds. Alaska's 18 mean that a shop in Juneau or Fairbanks has a short list of reader polls worth entering, and the same customers see each one. Texas has 263, so one Texas city can carry several competing reader polls in the same season, each with its own form and its own limits.
Here is every one of the 50 states and D.C., grouped by its recurring program count in the same snapshot:
- 150 or more: California 264, Texas 263, Florida 262, Michigan 172, Pennsylvania 166, New York 163, North Carolina 161, Ohio 156.
- 100 to 149: Indiana 131, Illinois 127, Georgia 125, Massachusetts 125, New Jersey 117, Virginia 116, Wisconsin 106, Colorado 105, Washington 104.
- 75 to 99: Tennessee 93, South Carolina 81, Missouri 80, Minnesota 79, Iowa 78, Oregon 77, Kentucky 75.
- 50 to 74: Arizona 74, Maryland 74, Alabama 72, Louisiana 69, Oklahoma 65, Kansas 64, New Hampshire 64, Mississippi 55, Connecticut 51, Arkansas 50.
- 40 to 49: Idaho 43, Montana 42, Nebraska 42, Vermont 42, Maine 41, Nevada 40.
- Under 40: New Mexico 39, Utah 37, Rhode Island 36, South Dakota 34, Wyoming 34, West Virginia 33, Delaware 26, Hawaii 25, North Dakota 19, Alaska 18, D.C. 11.
Which states carry the most recurring public-vote programs?
California (264), Texas (263) and Florida (262) carry the most recurring public-vote programs in our tracking, followed by Michigan (172), Pennsylvania (166), New York (163), North Carolina (161) and Ohio (156). The figure counts organizers rather than contests: Virginia's 116 organizers stand behind 315 recurring listings.
The top three sit within two programs of each other and 90 clear of Michigan in fourth place. Below that the field flattens. Twenty-five rows fall between 50 and 130 programs, which is where Arizona, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee land.
Best-of listings are the narrower number, and usually the one a business owner means. California leads with 197 recurring best-of listings, Virginia follows with 193 from only 116 organizers, then Illinois with 137 and Texas with 133. Virginia's ratio is the odd one: no other state above 100 programs runs as many best-of titles per organizer.
The calendar is lopsided too. September is the usual opening month in 17 of the 51 rows and August in 10, so late summer is when the largest group of states sees reader polls open. March leads in seven rows, Colorado and Florida among them. Utah's usual month is July.
Which states have a full guide, and why not all of them?
Twelve states have a full guide on Voting Now: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. A state reaches tier A with at least 8 checked program records from 3 or more websites and at least 3 distinct recurring programs, and 36 states pass that bar.
Another 24 tier-A states have the evidence but no guide yet. Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Idaho and West Virginia are among them. A full guide also needs enough distinct local questions to answer, and these states are waiting on that, not on proof.
Michigan shows what the tier measures. With 172 recurring programs it ranks fourth by count, yet only 6 records about its programs passed every check, so Michigan stays a row. Size and proof are separate measures. Utah has 37 programs and 2 checked records, both from one website; Washington, D.C., has 11 programs and none.
How were these state counts computed, and what do they miss?
Every count in the directory comes from a contest database snapshot dated 2026-10-02, covering programs seen from 2018 to 2026. A program counts once per organizer, and only when its web address passed a link check, its mechanic is a public vote and at least two editions are on record.
The median promotion window rests on a different population: days between the start and end dates a hosting platform recorded, from 2016 to 2026, recurring or not, kept only when a record ran 0 to 400 days. The n is how many dated records each median rests on. Kansas shows 2 days over 430 records and Minnesota 3 days over 709, so at least half of their dated records ran three days or less. Those are short polls, not month-long reader contests.
Four gaps sit under every figure here, and each one changes how a row should be read.
- Turnout. The database records no count of picks cast, so the biggest program in the next section is a proxy, not a measured crowd.
- Next year's edition. Two editions on record prove a habit, not a schedule.
- Judged awards with no public round, which fall outside the count entirely.
- Six rows with no dated window: Alaska, Maine, New Jersey, North Dakota, Utah and D.C. had no platform record carrying both a start and an end.
How do I find my state's biggest best-of poll?
Salt Lake Magazine's Best Of heads Utah's list by our size proxy and appears every year from 2018 to 2026, with Best of SLC next from 2019 onward. WV Living Magazine's Best of West Virginia heads its state's list, and Delaware Today Magazine's Best of Delaware heads Delaware's.
The proxy ranks a program higher for a best-of or readers' choice name, a newspaper, magazine or broadcaster as organizer, more years on record and a checked guide on the main site. Elsewhere, the first names on each state's list run like this:
A name on a list is where the reading starts. One state can hold a magazine poll that lets a regular pick every hour and a newspaper poll that counts one pick per category for the whole run, and nothing in a program's name tells you which kind you have entered.
- Arizona: Best of Our Valley from Arizona Foothills Magazine, seen 2018-2026, then KGUN-TV's Best Of.
- Kentucky: the Louisville Eccentric Observer Readers' Choice, seen 2019-2025.
- Tennessee: Cityview Magazine's Best Of in Knoxville, seen 2018-2026.
- South Carolina: Mount Pleasant Magazine's Best Of, then the Charleston City Paper's Best of Charleston.
- Idaho: the Idaho State Journal Readers' Choice, seen 2018-2026, then KIVI-TV's Best Of.
- North Dakota: The Dickinson Press' Best of the Western Edge Readers' Choice, and the Minot Daily News' Best of the Best.
- South Dakota: the Rapid City Journal's Best of the Black Hills, then 605 Magazine's Best of South Dakota.
- Alaska: Best of Juneau, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner's Readers' Choice Awards and Alaska Business Magazine's Best of Alaska Business.
- Washington, D.C.: Washington City Paper's Best of D.C.
Pennsylvania alone holds opposite rules on picks and prizes
Pennsylvania shows how far counting rules drift inside one state. Pittsburgh Magazine lets a reader pick once an hour in each category, while TribLIVE warns that prizes or discounts offered for nominations or picks can disqualify a company. Neither rule says anything about a third Pennsylvania organizer.
Across state lines the spread widens. Lynchburg Living in Virginia allows one pick per category for the entire contest, and a nomination uses it up. WNC Magazine's Choice Awards in North Carolina set no daily cap on how many forms one person sends in. The Dallas Observer sits between them, with one pick a day per email address in every category of Best of Dallas. And KPC Media in Indiana says plainly that picking under several email accounts breaks its rules, which I'd take at face value in any state.
What outside promotion changes in a state reader poll
Voting Now does not sell contest votes in Utah, Texas or any other state; it runs paid promotion that puts an entry in front of real people near the organizer, through ads, native PR, creators, blogger groups and its own social channels. The organizer's count and rules decide who places.
Some organizers say outright that asking belongs in the contest. The Almanac in California told readers it encourages businesses to ask loyal customers for support, and many do. Promotion works in that room: more of the right people hear about an entry, and each of them decides alone.
Promotion is priced the way advertisers price leads, with a quote agreed before anything runs. I'd still read the rules before spending anything. We decline contests whose rules forbid paid promotion, and no promoter can put a business on a winners' list in Utah or anywhere else.
Example scenario (illustrative - not a client result): a bakery in a tier-B state with one magazine poll that opens in July. The useful work starts weeks earlier, with the edition's rules, the exact business name customers will type and a reminder plan that fits the per-person limit. Paid ads for the poll, if its rules allow them, go to people who already shop at that bakery.
| State | Recurring programs | Best-of listings | Median window, days (n) | Usual opening month | Tier and guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 37 | 20 | No dated window | Jul (6 of 31) | B, here only |
| Idaho | 43 | 23 | 27 (n=29) | Sep (9 of 45) | A, here only |
| Arizona | 74 | 57 | 28 (n=54) | May (14 of 88) | A, here only |
| Kentucky | 75 | 33 | 28 (n=43) | Sep (17 of 86) | A, here only |
| Tennessee | 93 | 46 | 28 (n=168) | Sep (25 of 122) | A, here only |
| West Virginia | 33 | 43 | 14 (n=122) | Aug (12 of 47) | A, here only |
| South Carolina | 81 | 41 | 28 (n=49) | Sep (17 of 98) | A, here only |
| North Dakota | 19 | 12 | No dated window | Jul (5 of 17) | B, here only |
| South Dakota | 34 | 10 | 28 (n=75) | Nov (11 of 49) | B, here only |
| Alaska | 18 | 12 | No dated window | Aug (6 of 22) | B, here only |
| Delaware | 26 | 9 | 15 (n=16) | Jul (6 of 34) | B, here only |
| Washington, D.C. | 11 | 8 | No dated window | Aug (4 of 8) | B, here only |
Step by step
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Start from your state's row
Read your state's recurring program count, its usual opening month and its median window. A September opening with a 28-day median gives you about four weeks of asking, so the reminder plan has to exist before nominations open.
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Name the leading organizer
Take the first program name for your state from the list above and open that organizer's own website. A general state-wide 'best of' search can return a different publisher's poll with different rules and a different deadline.
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Record the per-person allowance
Write down whether that edition allows a pick every hour, one a day per email address, or one per category for the whole contest. Reminders follow the allowance, never the other way round.
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Check the category minimum
Some forms count only when enough categories are filled: Isthmus required 20 for a Madison's Favorites form in Wisconsin. Tell supporters the number before they start, or their pick for you may never reach the tally.
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Send Voting Now the rules
Send the contest link and that edition's rules to Voting Now for a free analysis over WhatsApp. If the contest forbids paid promotion, you hear a plain no before any budget is discussed.
Questions and answers
How do you win online contests in a state with few recurring programs?
Winning online contests in a small state like North Dakota or Alaska starts with the one or two reader polls that matter there, because 19 and 18 organizers leave little else. With few competing titles, local customers recognize the form when it appears, and a steady request across the whole window works better than a late push.
Do you win online competitions in Utah the same way as in Texas?
No. Utah has 37 recurring programs in our tracking and Texas 263, so a Utah business is more likely to face one magazine poll, such as Salt Lake Magazine's Best Of, while a Texas business may sit in several city polls at once. The mechanics differ by organizer, not by state, so each form has to be read on its own.
How do you get votes for online contest entries in North Dakota?
Getting votes for online contest entries in North Dakota means asking real customers through channels you already run, which is how the Minot Daily News describes its daily format working. North Dakota has 19 recurring programs in our tracking, and July is the usual opening month, with 5 of 17 dated programs starting then.
How do you get votes for online contests that cap picks per hour or per contest?
Getting votes for online contests with tight caps means widening the circle instead of repeating the ask. Where one pick per category covers the whole run, as at Lynchburg Living, every supporter is a single chance, so the list of people matters more than the reminders. Where Pittsburgh Magazine allows a pick each hour, regulars who come back carry the count.
Who runs Best of Washington DC voting?
Washington City Paper runs Best of D.C., the first program on the District's list by our size proxy. Washington, D.C., has 11 recurring programs in our tracking, the fewest of any row, and August is the usual opening month for 4 of the 8 that record one. No record about the District's programs passed every check, so D.C. has no guide of its own.
When does best of Utah voting usually open?
July is the most common opening month for Utah's recurring programs, with 6 of the 31 dated programs starting then. Salt Lake Magazine's Best Of appears every year from 2018 and Best of SLC every year from 2019. No hosting platform recorded both a start and an end date for a Utah contest, so the table shows no median window for the state.
Sources
- savannahmagazine.com. savannahmagazine.com/best-of-savannah/vote-best-of-savannah/.
- bestof.bxtimes.com. bestof.bxtimes.com.
- minotdailynews.com. minotdailynews.com/best-faq/.
- stopfraudcolorado.gov. stopfraudcolorado.gov/fraud-center/mail-fraud/.
- businessexpress.ny.gov. businessexpress.ny.gov/app/answers/cms/a_id/2325.
Voting Now does not sell contest votes in Utah, Michigan or any other state on this list, and it does not work on political or governmental votes. No bots, no extra email accounts and nothing built to slip past an IP ceiling like the one Best of the Bronx applies in its final audit. Where an organizer such as TribLIVE bars prizes or discounts tied to picks, customers get no reward from us. A program count is not a forecast of anyone's chances.
A contest vote sits under two rulebooks, the platform's and the organizer's. Meta's Spam standard lists offering anything of monetary value in exchange for engagement as a covered behavior, and the Santa Barbara Independent says it will disqualify a business that offers voters incentives of any kind. Voting Now reads both rulebooks before it plans anything, and a clause that forbids outside promotion ends the job.
Contest platforms check votes as routine. Easypromos runs each vote through 11 security controls and does not count one that fails any of them, and Woobox says voting fraud is becoming more common as contests grow popular. Voting Now promotes to real people who choose for themselves, at the contest's own pace, and none of this is a method for getting past a check.
Under 16 CFR 465.8, buying fake indicators of social media influence for a commercial purpose can violate the FTC's rule, which is one reason Voting Now promotes to real people and does not bring in bought counts. The FTC's Endorsement Guides also require a paid creator to disclose the connection clearly. Whether outside promotion is lawful for a given contest is a question for a lawyer, and Voting Now takes no political or governmental votes.
No quote promises a win, a ranking or a vote count, because the organizer counts the votes and applies its own rules. The Santa Barbara Independent, for one, says it will disqualify a business that offers voters incentives of any kind. Nothing runs before the client approves a written quote.