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Each year, thousands of votes are cast in the Port Arthur News Best Of contest as local residents weigh in on their favorite businesses, restaurants, services and places.

There is not a day you can go in a Port Arthur or Mid County business and not see a Best Of ribbon on a door, wall of a business or website. This year, we expect record turnout as people again make their voices heard. Plus, we’ve expanded the voting process to make it easier for YOU.

We examined the voting process and are pleased to roll out a new and improved way to cast your ballot in the Port Arthur News Best of 2021.

We moved to a state-of-the-art online voting platform that is “best of breed” in online voting systems for Best Of contests. This allows for more secure voting and automatic tabulation of votes. The new-and-improved voting system is mobile-friendly and easier to use.

We are also moving to a two-phase ballot, much like a primary and a general election. The nomination phase of Best of is a write-in ballot to nominate your favorite businesses by subcategory.

The nomination phase has begun and is open through May 31. The top three businesses per sub-category will then move forward to the voting phase.

The voting phase of Best of 2021 will start on July 1 and go through July 31. Choosing between the top three nominated businesses per sub-category will make the voting phase easier and faster. Winners will be contacted after the voting ends.

The winners of Best of 2021 will be announced to the public in September through a special section and will also be online on panews.com/contests.

Also updated this year is a redesigned logo, which reflects the unique character of our fine community. It also has a brighter color scheme that will help businesses that win stand out.

You can nominate your favorite businesses now by clicking here through May 31.