Lack of AMV contest ballots

[Sinaj]

I just remembered this and it's rather important I think. At last year's AMV contest, there seemed to be a shortage of voting ballots. I remember this because I think only the rows closest to the stage got ballots. There was someone who announced that if anyone needed ballots or pencils to ask him and many where handed out.

This year, I think everyone sitting in the room before the contest started (those that attended the Real Life panel) got ballots handed to them as they sat, but I saw no one at the door handing them out as the long line of folks came in.  After the contest was over, the text on the screen said the ballots were suppose to be under our chairs. Everyone (and I mean everyone) around were I was sitting reached under their chairs and came up empty handed. As far as I could see, no one in the rows I could see in front of me and all the rows behind me had no ballots. I was sitting pretty much in the middle of the room. No one announced if their were extra ballots or anything like that.

Had I not attended the Real Life Comics panel, I would not have been able to vote.

I'm wondering how many people wanted to vote, but couldn't. And how many rows actually had ballots under their chairs.

I would like to suggest for next year that ballots are handed out at the door as people come in.

[Negima]

I was in that situation too.  I looked under my chair and even the other chairs around me and didn't see any ballots.  I was probably seated somewhere in the middle.

[SenahbirdR]

My friend and I were about a little further back than middle. We searched under our chairs a minute or so then gave up; p Yeah, handing out ballots on entrance next years seems a good idea.

[sumomo_san]

We got ballots and filled them out but no one told us where or when to turn them in so we still have them xD

[Sinaj]

I was thinking this morning that there were at least 30 rows in the room, and at least 30 chairs in each row (I'm counting at least 15 chairs on each side). Which gives us a minimum of 900 folks.  There were at least 300 people sitting in the room before the line outside was let in, if I tripled the number of seats taken by those already in the room, it still doesn't equal the people that were seated during the contest. I know there were at least 900 people for the contest.

900 people - 33.3% received ballots, a little over 1/3 of those turned them in, so you have a 13% room vote.

Everyone I saw was reaching under their chairs, interested in voting, but couldn't.  We really need to make sure next year that everyone who wants to vote is able to. Cutting out some of the videos that were shown in the hour and a half after the contest would give the time to hand out and collect ballots.  Because this contest is voted on by the attendees, making sure they are able to vote should be a priority.