Just four days after the polls opened for the 2016 "Best of North Idaho," 48,000 votes had been cast.

Bill Izzard, production manager for The Press, said that’s 10,000 more votes than were cast during the entire month of voting in 2015. Best of North Idaho is a peoples’ choice competition. Anybody can vote.

With the growth of the Internet, online voting has helped the Best of North Idaho become one of the most well-known and respected brands of the Coeur d'Alene Press and the North Idaho Business Journal, said Press Publisher Jim Thompson.

"The sole idea is to help businesses distinguish themselves and be recognized for excellence, so they stand out in the community with that recognition," Thompson said.

The Press and the North Idaho Business Journal have published “Best of North Idaho” for about a decade. Thompson said The Press attempted to do a "Best Of" around 20 years ago, but it just wasn't the right time. He said the use of online voting has made it more manageable and popular.

"Electronic balloting is the key ingredient to vote for your favorite businesses," Thompson said.

“Best of North Idaho” now consists of 14 categories — from automotive to visionaries — with 170 subcategories to choose from. The restaurant category has the most subcategories, with 42 different sections from the best fine dining to the best happy hour. Each subcategory has a lineup of businesses, as well as an area to add one if it is not listed.

Thompson said while doing a "Best Of" program is not unique to Coeur d'Alene, or even to newspapers for that matter, the “Best of North Idaho” title is coveted by businesses in Kootenai County. In a community like Coeur d'Alene — with so much growth, so many new businesses and so many new people — being recognized for excellence has become an important part of every business’ marketing, Thompson said.

"Many people have shared with me that when they were new to the community and moved here, and trying to figure out where to do business, they used Best Of as their blueprint for who they were going to do business with and establish relationships with," Thompson said. "They save that publication and that is the first place they search."

Voting opened Jan. 4 and will be open until Feb. 5. North Idaho Business Journal will publish the results of the ballots in late March.

Thompson revealed a new, enhanced website will be set up this year to create a more interactive experience for the Best of North Idaho, and will be accessible all year long.

To vote for your favorite businesses, visit: http://cdapress.secondstreetapp.com/l/Best-of-2016/Ballot