Official rules

Small Town Locals town ballot: official rules

1. What this is

The Small Town Locals ballot lets the public help choose the next town we make a merch line for. No purchase is necessary to nominate a town or to vote, and buying something doesn't improve your chances. The only prize is a $50 store credit for the person who nominated the winning town (see section 12). Voters don't win prizes.

2. Who runs it

The ballot is run by Small Town Locals, LLC ("Small Town Locals", "we"). Questions: info@smalltownlocals.com.

3. Who can vote

Anyone 13 or older with a working email address can vote. Each person should use one email address. Employees of Small Town Locals, LLC and members of their households may not vote.

4. When voting happens

A new vote opens about twice a month and runs for one week. The exact opening and closing times are on the ballot page. All times are U.S. Central Time (America/Chicago), and a "day" runs from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Central Time.

5. How to vote

• Choose a town on the ballot and enter your email.
• The first time you vote, we email you a confirmation link. Your vote counts once you open it, and any votes you made while you were waiting count too.
• Votes still unconfirmed when the vote closes don't count.
• After your email is confirmed, your votes count right away.

6. One vote per email per day

You can vote once each day while the vote is open. You can choose the same town every day or a different town on different days. Once you've voted, you can't change that day's vote. Another vote that same day won't count, and you can vote again after midnight Central Time.

7. Fair play

We may exclude votes that we reasonably believe came from:

• automated tools or scripts
• bulk-created, fake or disposable email addresses
• one person using several email addresses
• anyone not eligible to vote under section 3
• any other attempt to get around these rules

We review suspicious activity before removing any vote. We may also limit how often votes can be sent from one device or network.

8. The towns on the ballot

• We choose each ballot from towns nominated through our nomination form.
• Towns we already sell merch for aren't eligible.
• Write-in votes aren't accepted.
• We can remove a town from a ballot if we find it isn't eligible.

9. Results

• While voting is open, we may show the total number of votes cast, but never the count for each town.
• When the vote closes, the town with the most confirmed votes wins, and we post the final counts.
• If there's a tie, or no confirmed votes, Small Town Locals decides the outcome. That may mean picking the winner or holding another vote.
• Our decision is final.

10. After a town wins

We spend about a week on designs, then launch the town's merch line in our store.

• Most designs stay on sale after launch week.
• One launch-week-only colorway is available until the end of launch week, then removed.
• Launch dates can change if production takes longer.
• Winning doesn't commit us to a particular product, price or quantity.

11. Nominations

Nominations are always open, and you must be 13 or older to submit one.

• When you nominate a town, you confirm the story is your own and give us permission to show it on our site, ballot and emails. We show it with your first name, and we may edit it for length or clarity.
• We review every story before it appears, and we may decline any nomination.
• Nominating a town doesn’t guarantee it a place on a ballot. If your nomination is the earliest approved one for a town that wins, you may be eligible for the prize in section 12.

12. Nominator prize: $50 store credit

The prize. When a town wins, the person who submitted the earliest approved nomination for that town gets a $50 Small Town Locals store credit. There's one prize per winning town.

Who can receive it. You must be a legal resident of the United States, 18 or older, and not an employee of Small Town Locals, LLC or a member of an employee's household. If the earliest approved nominator isn't eligible, the prize goes to the next earliest approved nominator who is.

How you claim it. We email the winner at the address they nominated with. Reply within 14 days to claim it. If you don't reply in time, or can't show you're eligible, the prize is forfeited and not awarded to anyone else.

How it's issued. The credit is issued as Shopify store credit on the customer account for your email address. You use it at checkout on smalltownlocals.com while signed in to that account. Any expiration date is the one shown with the credit when it's issued.

Limits. The credit has no cash value, can't be exchanged for cash, and can't be transferred or sold. Any taxes are the winner's responsibility. Approximate retail value: $50.

Void where prohibited. This prize is void where prohibited or restricted by law.

13. Your email

• When you vote or nominate a town, we use your email to confirm your vote, count your votes, and send you emails about the vote you took part in and the launch of the winning town.
• Voting also adds you to our town list, so we can tell you when the next vote opens.
• Other emails, such as new merch and sales, are optional. You only get them if you tick the box when you vote or nominate.
• You can unsubscribe from any of our emails at any time using the link in the email.
• See our Privacy Policy.

14. Changes

We may change these rules, or change, pause or cancel a vote, if something goes wrong or the ballot can't run fairly. Changes take effect when posted on this page.

Last updated: November 10, 2026