Miss America Reality Check

TLC offers a way to vote for your favorite Miss America contestant.
• Submit your vote via the official “Miss America: America’s Choice” voting web site located at www.tlc.com/missamerica

Please review the Official Rules for the Miss America: America’s Choice Vote by clicking here: http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/miss-america/official-rules.html. For your convenience we have also included below some Frequently Asked Questions. Note that in the event of a conflict between the Official Rules and these FAQs, the Official Rules shall govern.

If you have questions about the voting or our web site, we have a toll-free telephone number and customer service email address to assist you. However, because many questions are answered below please read the FAQs before contacting us.

General

1. How do I vote?
2. Who can vote?
3. How many times can I vote / How often can I vote?
4. Can I change my vote?
5. How much does it cost to vote?
6. When / How do I find out the results?
7. Why won’t interim results be revealed before the Miss America Pageant airs so we know how the contestants are doing?
8. I had problems voting. How do I get help?

Web Site Voting

1. What browsers and operating systems are supported?
2. May I watch the Contestants' videos before I vote?
3. Why do I not see a video for each contestant?
4. Why am I asked to match scrambled letters and numbers from a picture?
5. I already voted once today. How do I vote again?
6. Why do I see a page that says “Sorry. Voting is closed”?
7. I have problems watching the videos. Why?
8. I received a “Thanks For Voting” page. Does this mean that my vote has been counted?
9. Why does it say my email address is invalid?

General

1. How do I vote?
To vote, log on to www.tlc.com/missamerica any time between January 4, 2008 at 11pm Eastern Time and January 26, 2008 at 3:00am Eastern Time (the “Voting Period”). The Voting Period is subject to change at Sponsor’s sole discretion, without notice. By submitting any vote, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and that the decisions of the Sponsors, Administrator and judges are final and binding in all respects.

2. Who can vote?
Anyone who has Internet access, is 13 or older and is from within the Continental U.S. (including Washington, DC), Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands may participate.

3. How many times can I vote / How often can I vote?
You can vote one (1) time per day during the Voting Period, for a total of no more than 22 votes. A day period is defined as being from 00:00:00 Eastern Standard Time to 23:59:59 Eastern Standard Time. TLC reserves the right to remove any votes identified as cast using unfair means.

4. Can I change my vote?
No. Once your vote has been submitted, you cannot change or withdraw the vote. However, you can always vote again the next day for another contestant.

5. How much does it cost to vote?
There is no cost to vote except any charges you normally incur from your Internet provider for your Internet access. Such charges are not in the control of, nor the responsibility of, Sponsor or Administrator.

6. When / How do I find out the results?
The 16th finalist will be revealed during the Miss America Pageant, airing on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 8:00pm Eastern Time on TLC. So, make sure you don’t miss a moment of the show if you want to see how your vote may have affected the results!

7. Why won’t interim results be revealed before the Miss American Pageant airs so we know how the contestants are doing?
Specific details of the voting will not be made public. This secrecy is for the benefit of the show and to build up excitement for the Miss America Pageant. We do not want the public vote to be unfairly influenced in favor of or against any one contestant because of the knowledge of how the public is voting; therefore, this information will remain confidential.

8. I had problems voting. How do I get help? – If you have problems casting your vote or need more information on the voting, please send an e-mail message to info@telescope.tv or call the customer care line at 1-888-782-2180. The customer care line is open Monday through Friday, 9:00am- 5:00pm Pacific Time. We will endeavor to respond to enquiries within 24 hours of receipt, or within 72 hours if received during a weekend.

Web Site Voting

1. What browsers and operating systems are supported?
These are the minimum software requires to use our site. JavaScript must be enabled in your browser. (Note: JavaScript is not the same as Java.)
PC users:
Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista
Mozilla Firefox 2, Opera 9, or Internet Explorer 6 (version 7 highly recommended. Get Internet Explorer 7 by selecting Windows Update from the Start menu.)
Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher
Mac users:
Mac OS X 10.3 or greater
Safari 2, Mozilla Firefox 2, or Opera 9
Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher

2. May I watch the Contestants’ videos before I vote?
Yes, during the Voting Period, you may view each of the available contestant videos before voting. Simply click on the video link to view any or all of the videos in your Internet browser.

3. Why do I not see a video for each contestant?
Any video for a contestant which is not already uploaded will be uploaded once received and any technical issues are resolved. Keep checking back if you do not currently see a video for your favorite contestant.

4. Why am I asked to match scrambled letters and numbers from a picture?
You must type the numbers and letters you see in the picture to confirm that a person is trying to access the page, rather than an automated program. This helps keep automated programs from casting fraudulent votes or misusing the system, for example, casting hundreds of votes to be submitted for a single contestant. In most cases, automated voting programs cannot recognize letters and numbers in the picture.

5. I already voted once today. How do I vote again?
Come back again tomorrow. You can only vote once per day during the Voting Period.

6. Why do I see a page that says “Sorry. Voting is closed.”?
The Voting Period closes at 3:00am Eastern Time on January 26, 2008. No votes will be accepted after the Voting Period.

7. I have problems watching the videos. Why?
Verify that you have correctly installed the Adobe Flash Player 9. Video may take additional time to load on non-broadband Internet connections.

8. I received a “Thanks For Voting” page. Does this mean that my vote has been counted?
Once your vote has been cast, you will see a “Thanks for Voting” page. Sponsors and/or Administrator will then verify the vote. Once your vote has been verified, it will be counted toward that contestant. At the end of the Voting Period an independent third party will verify all of the votes and the 16th finalist will be selected based on the top number of valid votes. If the contestant with the top valid votes is already in the top 15 finalists the contestant with the next-highest number of votes will be deemed the 16th finalist, and so forth.

9. Why does it say my email address is invalid?
If your e-mail address has a single letter domain name (e.g. @q.com), please note that these will not be considered as valid by the Miss America online vote system. Please try again with an e-mail address with a longer domain name.