A poll for the decades

A reader recently asked how many years we have been conducting our Best of Des Moines readers’ poll. Good question. 

I bought CITYVIEW in 2004, and we have organized the poll for more than two decades now. I received some archives of past issues dating back to 1993 as part of the acquisition, but they were incomplete. We researched this as best we could with what we have to attempt to answer the question. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as doing a Google search. We do think we found the answer, though. See the Ask CV column on page 8.  

In those early years, the poll was truly revolutionary. It didn’t have as many votes as today, but it was entertaining and did represent what was hot in Des Moines at the time, just as it does now. Readers then were required to fill out a hand-written ballot and mail it in. We continued that process for a while, but as the digital age came upon us, readers wanted to be able to vote online. And vote they did. The number of people voting today is more than 10x what it was in the early years, and we thank you all you who are so passionate about the people, places and events of Des Moines and central Iowa.  

Of course, others have tried — and some continue to try — to imitate our poll. Other publications. Radio stations. Some chambers of commerce. Even the Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. But none of those efforts can even come close to what our Best of Des Moines poll has become. The people of Des Moines and central Iowa know it. We know it. You know it. There is only one Best of Des Moines, and the latest results are in this issue.  

Being recognized as the Best of Des Moines is such a prestigious honor that some folks go to great lengths to win. Many do so in creative ways by encouraging their customers or members to vote for them. Some offer incentives for them to do so. That’s smart. 

Others are not so honorable. They attempt to vote multiple times by clearing their cookies on their computers and voting again and again. Others are now attempting to use AI to beat the system. We catch them through our own use of technology now, including AI, and we throw those votes out, exactly as we stated we would do on our rules page. Those who attempt to cheat waste a great deal of time and, in many cases, money to win. That’s not smart. 

There have always been, and always will be, cheaters in this world including right here in Des Moines. Years ago, people would fill out the printed ballot and then make dozens of photo copies, sending them all in the same envelope to us, despite the rules clearly stating one vote per reader. Amazing. And today, some try to bend the rules in a digital way to do the same. It doesn’t work. 

What does work is being a great person, being involved in a great organization or running a great business — and that is what the winners in this year’s readers’ poll are. And, not only are they great. They are the best. ♦

Shane Goodman 
Editor and Publisher
CITYVIEW
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.dmcityview.com