Keely Richter here, buzzing on Best Of Monterey County® Readers’ Poll energy. Final voting begins today, Aug. 6. How did we get here?
In July, 23,494 nominations were cast in 277 categories spread across six sections. We tallied up the nominations in each category to bring you the finalists that you now see in drop-down menus for easy voting.
The tallying process is a bit onerous. We could likely use an AI function to help in the data cleanup, but what AI bot is going to know that “the red one on Lighthouse in PG” is The Red House Cafe? Or that “the one with the great socks at the corner of the wharf” is the Harbor House gift shop? Of course it’s easier when folks submit the proper names of places, but we want to make sure that every vote counts, so we do it by hand.
Voting is open until Aug. 28. The finest restaurants, the tastiest treats, the greenest golf courses, the do-gooderest nonprofits and the rockingest musicians are on the ballot this year. Take some time to appreciate the businesses, places, people and things that make Monterey County such a vibrant place to live and vote for the best in each category.
We’ll celebrate the winners on Oct. 8 with a glossy-covered keepsake edition of Monterey County Weekly.