The voting begins

Guess we're not kids any more. We've hit the dreaded year all young people fear. Yes, Best of Las Vegas is 30. The Big Three-Oh oh.

Well, we refuse to grow up. We're going to keep our youthful enthusiasm and cockeyed optimism as long as we're ambulatory. Heck, maybe even longer.

And we're counting on you, dear readers, to keep the Review-Journal's fun little poll thriving into its third decade.

Once again, we're giving you choices on how you'd like to participate. After all, the Best of Las Vegas poll is all about choices. Here's how it works.

One, you can vote in today's newspaper, by turning to the ballot on Pages 4 and 5 in this section. Repeat paper ballots will be offered in the Review-Journal on Monday and Thursday.

Or, two, you can vote online all week at bestoflasvegas.com/vote2011.

Here's where it gets a little tricky -- and we're hoping this brain workout will keep us forever young -- the ballot will be presented in three parts over three weeks.

The first ballot contains the Best Hotels and Best Entertainment categories, a switch from last year when we opened with Best Eat & Drink and Best Locations. Really, that is just inside baseball.

What you need to know is that the Hotels category includes 43 subcategories, an increase of three from last year. We're bringing Best Cocktails back into the mix and adding two new choices: Best Parking and Best Casino Mascot. The Hotels category also includes a food section, but only restaurants in hotels are eligible.

The Entertainment category receives a big boost of energy with five additional subcategories this year for a total of 24. Best Nightclub DJ spins back into action, while Best Day Club, Best Ultralounge, Nightclub with Best Mixologists and Nightclub with Best VIP Service are new.

Whichever method you choose -- paper ballot or online -- you can vote in these categories only once. All voting on the first ballot will end at 5 p.m. Jan. 17.

The next ballot will appear in the Review-Journal and online Jan. 16 and include Best Shopping, Best People, Best Sports Spots and Best of the Worst. It will repeat in the newspaper Jan. 17 and 20 and be available online all week. Voting will cease at 5 p.m. Jan. 24.

We hope all this whets your appetite for the popular Best Eat & Drink category (which includes restaurants outside of hotels). It will be paired with Best Locations on Jan. 23, with newspaper repeats on Jan. 24 and 27 and voting online all week. Voting will close for good at 5 p.m. Jan. 31.

Got it? Three ballots over three weeks in the Review-Journal and online at bestoflasvegas.com/vote2011. Vote once each week for your favorites.

What we don't want to see is ballot stuffing. Be fair, folks. When we see a stuffing campaign, the stuffee is immediately deemed ineligible and sent home without supper. Also, we accept no photocopies of the paper ballots, just the real deal. Legible writing is a must, too. While our poll is not scientific, we have some standards to maintain.

In short, mail your ballots to Best of Las Vegas, Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125 or go online at bestoflasvegas.com/vote2011.

And there may be something more in this than just the sheer joy of sharing your opinion. We also offer fabulous prizes in a random drawing. Just check out these goodies: two tickets to see the Best All-Around Performer; two tickets for the Best Show; dinner for two at the Best Gourmet Restaurant in a hotel; dinner for two in the Best Gourmet Restaurant not in a hotel; lunch for two at the Best Place for a Power Lunch; a gift certificate to the Best Mall; and a grand prize of a night on the town, including dinner, a show and an overnight stay at a local hotel.

Results of the Best of Las Vegas poll will be shared with the world on March 27.

Contact Patricia Morgan at pmorgan@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-0267.