This post opens the voting for Mormon of the Year. Votes will be taken until midnight Eastern Time on Saturday, January 7th, at which time the voting will close.
The voting mechanism will attempt to restrict votes to one per person.
The order of the choices is set at random, and is different each time the form is presented.
THE WINNER OF THE ONLINE VOTE IS NOT NECESSARILY THE MORMON OF THE YEAR!!!
The results of the vote will be considered by the bloggers and editors here at Times & Seasons (and anyone we invite to participate) as part of the process of choosing a Mormon of the Year. I imagine that the results will likely be the deciding factor in anything close to a tie, for example, as well as in any number of possible scenarios.
BECAUSE OF THIS, PLEASE VOTE! We will announce, in any case, the results of the online vote, as well as any indication we have that voting was stacked, fraudulent or otherwise problematic. So please, vote only once.
Feel free to announce the vote where ever you wish. Since many have asked, non-Mormons are free to vote (I can’t see how we could prevent non-Mormons if we wished to anyway).
But above all, please use judgement. Remember this is NOT about popularity. It IS about judging the impact that these nominees had on the world and on Mormonism.
If you need further information about any of the nominees, please take a look at the post in which the nominations were discussed or the follow up post on the nominations.
[The vote is being collected by third-party software. Please let us know of any problems you encounter.]
Nearly 100 votes so far.
Am I seeing things, or are vote totals sometimes going down as well as up? I could swear that the “I’m a Mormon” total (not percentage, but total) was 15 at one time (although I could have glanced carelessly at the Google total), and then 12, and now 8. If it goes down again, I’m calling foul. Or glitch. Or something.
Ardis, I don’t know about the 12, but perhaps you were looking at the truncated “[15” at the end of the entry.
The listings do have multiple errors such as “Goo” and “justlike.”
That may account for the 15, Left field, but I took that into consideration when I thought the count went from 15 to 12.
(I’m not taking this too seriously, really I’m not — but Kent, you need us to take it seriously enough to vote, and voting means we care about whether our votes count. Or something.)
Ah yes, I see now that I had glanced carelessly at your comment and didn’t notice that you had already noticed the Google total. I should try to glance more carefully next time.
Yes, Left Field, you’re supposed to glance at my comments so carefully that you can copy them onto the back of your patriarchal blessing to serve as guides to your life!
Ardis, I think the problem is that the layout on the results is sometimes confusing — its easy to mix up the total before an item with the total after an item. I’ve had to look at the totals twice for several things, and I’ve thought that Hopoate had votes when he didn’t because of the layout.
Rules for Kevin Barney and others in the Chicago area: Vote, and vote often! And make sure all of your ancestors vote, as well….After all, a headstone IS like a current address.
It will be an interesting contest between Jimmer and Mitt. I am excited to see the results. Personally I went with Mitt simply because his long-term impact could be so influential across the world if he is elected President (or even wins the GOP nomination). But I guess that would make him the most influential Mormon in 2012, not 2011. :)
President or not, Mitt Romney will never compare to the influence Joanna has already made. Also, Mitts influence is arguable both positive and negative where Joanna’s is clearly more lopsided for the positive. Vote for Joanna!
Okay, folks. It’s game time. After 9 months of talking about it, now is time to get it done. We don’t want to get swiftboated like we did in 2008.
Please do your part to get a Mormon in the White House. If you have any old college roommates, former mission companions, etc. who live in Iowa, now is the time to get them on the phone and have them vote in the Iowa caucuses tomorrow.
I voted for Joanna Brooks because she known for talking about Mormonism. Mitt and Jimmer aren’t necessarily known for talking about Mormonism.
R/H 2012,
I’ll pass thanks. No reason not to vote for Obama this year. Also, this is a forum for voting on the influential Mormon of 2011, not your political platform.
Ms brooks may mean something to the bloggernacle, but outside of that, who knows her. 2011 was the year of the Jimmer. He was on the cover of SI and the Church News in the same month.
Ironic how this poll is on the bloggernacle. Most anyone that comes here knows her, and I dare say the average Jimmer fan does NOT come here. That’s just IMHO though.
dallske #10:
With all due respect to Ms. Brooks (and even though I have enjoyed much of what I’ve read), wahahahahahah!
Yes, dallske, this poll is on the bloggernacle. But it’s not a vote for who is the biggest bloggerknucklehead or something. It’s about the Mormon with the largest impact. You may adore Ms. Brooks, but to compare her impact with that of the leader of the free world is amusing.
In other words, even though most people posting here know who Brooks is, the expectation is that they can still discern the fact that she can’t really be said to have the greatest impact if most people in the world don’t have any idea who she is or what she does or even see the result of her work. (Feel free to argue that last phrase, if you want.)
That said, I think the premise is kind of silly. I love what Elizabeth Smart has done with her life, I admire her, AND I voted for her. But no way on earth did she have the biggest impact on Mormonism or the world or…what is the impact supposed to be measured on anyway?…in 2010.
This year, I really like Stephen Allen. I think his positive impact on how many view the church has been great.
FWIW, the Salt Lake Tribune ran an article today about the third Mormon running for president, Yeah Samake.
AMS,
You can blurt out a demeaning laugh all you want, I simply disagree with your opinion.
It may seem obvious to you because you look at it in a lazy way. This isn’t a statistical argument for anyone, otherwise it wouldn’t be a vote. Measuring impact is impossible and your opinion, to me, it ridiculous.
#18 – Serious question, not meant to be snarky in any way, even if it sounds that way:
Do you really, sincerely believe that “President or not, Mitt Romney will never compare to the influence Joanna has already made”?
That would mean that a writer, even a very good one with a relatively wide audience in her own sphere, has more “influence” than the President of the United States.
Is that really what you meant in your comment?
I suppose I look at it differently. I read it with “impact for good” implied, not just “impact”. I also have to compare the fleeting influence Mitt has compared to the permanence and timelessness the written word has. Am I stretching in my hopes? Maybe. Am I trying to be honest about how I feel about Mitt Romney? Yes. I don’t believe he is a positive representative of the church, so I don’t see him impacting the world for good. That is probably wrong of me to hear the “…for good” in that sentence.
dallske, for the record, the designation is about total impact, not just “impact for good.” My intention is that we consider each person’s impact for both good AND bad.
If you are leaving out the bad, then your considerations don’t agree with the idea behind this designation.
FWIW, we are right about 500 votes cast! Can we make it to 1,000 by Sunday?
I just want to give a shout out to any Iowans who read this blog and voted for Mitt Romney. You might have been the difference since he won by just eight votes. That’s one Econoline van full of Mormons.
Yeah, I’m sure the caucus was decided by Mormon residents of Iowa who read Times & Seasons and hopped right in the nearest Econoline van to drive to the local fire station or high school to sway the vote because they must, of course, vote for the candidate who attends the same church they do.
@ Researcher
A lot of Mormons drive a car that can comfortably sit eight people. And they have been mocked for it.
To me, it’s sweet poetic justice that it was exactly eight votes that the first potentially Mormon president needed to win Iowa.
#25 – Fwiw, the highest ranking Mormon politician in Iowa (Secretary of State, Matt Schultz) endorsed Santorum – and even campaigned with him. (Did you know the Secretary of State in Iowa is Mormon?) The story was in the Washington Times two days ago.
Maybe some evangelicals who didn’t mind voting for Romney cancelled out some Mormons who didn’t mind voting for an evangelical. That would be much more wonderful and poetic, imo, than a van full of Mormons causing the win.
@ Ray
While Santorum was cashing his government paychecks as a career politician, Romney was allocating capital to Domino’s Pizza and Staples, which now employ 200,000+ people.
Romney/Huntsman 2012 wrote:
… in minimum wage jobs…
[Sorry, couldn’t resist!]
@ Kent Larsen
I’m sure a good chunk of the executives, lawyers, IT employees, managers, and assistant managers make decent money.
Moreover, a minimum wage job is nothing to be ashamed of, especially for teens and college students (who badly need jobs now).
I’m just joking…
This whole thing isn’t meant to be about who is the best candidate for president (and to be frank, I think you are coming on way too strong about that). It IS about who has had the most impact (for good OR bad). Let’s lighten up a bit on the politics, please!!!
#30 – I agree, Kent – especially since #27 had absolutely nothing to do with anything I or anyone else said. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
There are obviously too many BYU alumni voting on here, if Jimmer Fredette actually took 33+% of the votes. Seriously??? You think he’s made a greater impact (positive or negative) than Mitt Romney, I’m a Mormon Campaign, Joanna Brooks, etc?
If he wins this, then I’m declaring T&S as a “has been” blog for people who really need to turn their television sets to another channel other than BYU channel….
I didn’t vote for Romney because I think the year of Romney is most likely going to be this year, not last year. And I really don’t want to vote for him twice in a row.
In addition, I didn’t vote for the “I’m a Mormon Campaign” because I think the “Mormon of the Year” should be, you know, actually a person. Joanna’s great, but I’m not sure she’s that widely recognized (certainly not as widely recognized as she should be). As much as I hate Jimmer-mania, anyone who follows college or pro basketball at all knows who he is. He’s probably the most famous LDS athlete in the U.S. since Steve Young.
It goes without saying that Jimmer Fredette is Mormon of the Year. His impact dwarfs that of everyone else on this list… combined.