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Each year, thousands of votes are cast in the Best of Orange County contest as residents weigh in on their favorite businesses, restaurants, services and places.

There is not a day you can go in Orange and not see a Best of Orange ribbon on a door, wall of a business or website. This year, we expect record turn-out as people again make their voices heard.

We examined the voting process this year, and are pleased to roll out a new and improved way to cast your ballot for Best of Orange County in 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 Orange County is a write-in ballot to nominate your favorite businesses by subcategory. The nomination phase begins May 3, 2021, and is open through May 31, 2021. The top three businesses per sub-category will then move forward to the voting phase.

The voting phase of Best of Orange County 2021 will start on July 5 and go through August 2, 2021. 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 Orange County 2021 will be announced to the public in the fall through a special section and will also be online on The Orange Leader website.

Also updated this year is a redesigned logo, which reflects the unique character of our fine county. It also has a brighter color scheme that will help businesses that win stand out as they proudly display their Best of Orange County 2021 badge and certificates.

You can nominate your favorite businesses now by visiting this link now through May 31, 2021.