Chicago vs. Orlando, the vote

Someone seems to be taking the results of this week's Web poll very seriously. The poll on our home page asks readers, "Would you prefer to attend NPE2012 in Chicago or Orlando, Fla.?" It's a hot topic, and voting was pretty heavy on Monday and Tuesday. Today, though, it went through the roof. As of 5:45 p.m. ET, we've had more than 1,200 people vote in the poll. That figure far exceeds the previous record for one of our PN weekly polls. (The previous top spot: Oct. 1, 2004, we asked readers if the presidential election was held today, who would they elect. George W. Bush won with 60.4 percent of the votes). On the NPE poll, Orlando was winning until today, and suddenly Chicago has picked up a couple of hundred votes -- with almost none for Orlando. I can't tell if they're voting in alphabetical order, but it's obvious that the folks in McCormick Place discovered the poll. Kathy Knusta, project coordinator with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (which owns McCormick Place) even posted a comment: "Chicago is the best town! I have been a Chicagoan my whole life and when I travel I really realize how much I love my hometown! From the great people, the great food and the great events and sightseeing there is to do! Just recently, a friend came into town and she asked what could I do for the weekend? I didnˆ´t even know where to begin because there is so much for us to offer! I donˆ´t know one person I met that said they didnˆ´t like Chicago after they left! Come visit and youˆ´ll see!" Thanks Kathy, and congratulations on the get-out-the-vote effort. I've got some personal experience with Chicago elections -- I was an exit poll taker for WBBM TV in 1983, when Harold Washington won his first Democratic primary for the mayor's job, beating Jane Byrne and Richard M. Daley. So I can appreciate the effort being taken by the Chicago voters today. It's all in fun, after all. And it doesn't hurt to show the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. members that Chicago wants to keep NPE.