Daily Vote Trends

Daily Vote Trends are a way of understanding why some Contest entrants can be very strong during one period of the day but very weak during a different time.

The Daily Trends
Note: as all polls have started at midnight EST from 2005 onwards, all times in this article will be in 24 hour EST format. So 0:00 = midnight, 13:00 = 1pm, and so forth.

EBV - Early Board Vote (0:00 to 0:05)
see the main EBV article for more information

The first five minutes of a poll are largely influenced in favor of Board 8's preferences. B8 favorites like Phoenix Wright and CATS typically do very well during this period.

The EBV can also stand for "Early Bracket Vote", because those refreshing the homepage and voting in the opening minutes of a poll are often doing so to support their bracket. Due to this group, many times the bracket favorite will start strong before falling off the map (see Squall vs Luigi 2003).

PHV - Power Hour Vote (0:00 to 1:00)
see the main PHV article for more information

The first hour of a poll is traditionally called the Nintendo Power Hour, though some argue it could more accurately be titled the Old School Power Hour. Entrants with strong appeal to the older generation of gamers generally perform at their peak during this time, for instance Mega Man, Mario, and all things Chrono Trigger.

FNV - First Night Vote (1:00 to 6:00ish)
see the main FNV article for more information

From 60 minutes into a poll until the sun rises on the East Coast is the period known as the First Night Vote (or Overnight Vote). The FNV makes up the first 1/2 of the overall Night Vote. Trends often differ drastically versus those of the PHV and upcoming Day Vote; typically Nintendo will drop to its lowest percentage of the day during this time while more mature series like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy X will look their best.

The second half of the FNV is sometimes called the European Vote or The Dead Hours - as most Americans are in bed by 3 or 4am, vote intake drops to its lowest of the match and Europeans just waking up dominate the trends for this period. The most notable change during this time is a massive shift away from series that have not been well represented in Europe, such as Chrono Trigger.

BSV - Before School Vote (6:00ish to 9:00ish)
see the main BSV article for more information

The period of roughly three hours after daybreak on the East Coast is known as the Before School Vote, or more generally, the Morning Vote. The BSV makes up the first 1/3 of the overall Day Vote. Characters that appeal to younger voters often do very well during this time; traditionally this is a period where Nintendo finally stops the bleeding from the overnight and often rebounds with some of its strongest gains of the day. However the most noticeable BSV performer is most likely Sonic Team, as Sega's flagship series often sees a major boost during these hours thanks to its strong appeal with both younger American voters and Europe in general.

DSV - During School Vote (9:00ish to 14:30ish)
see the main DSV article for more information

The hours while school is in session on the East Coast are known as the During School Vote. The DSV is the central 1/3 of the Day Vote, but often differs drastically from the two time periods that bookend it. In truth the trends during this period more often mimic those of the Overnight Vote than they do the BSV or ASV, with Nintendo and Sega generally taking a step back while more mature series get a second wind.

ASV - After School Vote (14:30ish to 22:00ish)
see the main ASV article for more information

The six to seven hours after schools start to let out are known as the After School Vote, and makes up the final 1/3 of the Day Vote. This is in many ways the most crucial time period during a match, as vote intake rises to its peak and the trends established in this opening half hour sometimes hold until only two or three hours of voting remain. In most cases the ASV trends will mirror what was seen during the BSV, except with increased intensity and force. Although Nintendo generally does well during this time (in particular Super Smash Bros.), the most dominating ASV forces have traditionally been all things Kingdom Hearts and all things Xbox (especially Halo and Master Chief).

SNV - Second Night Vote (22:00ish to 24:00)
The final two to three hours of a poll are known as the Second Night Vote, which makes up the final 1/2 of the overall Night Vote. Although the general trend is for this period to mimic the Overnight Vote, it usually does so with considerably less intensity and predictability due to a number of factors. The first is that the ASV trends (which are often a polar opposite) will many times bleed over into the early part of the SNV. The second is that vote intake declines severely versus the ASV boom, particularly in the last 60 minutes. And the third factor is that, in the case of close matches, Board 8 will sometimes smell blood in the water and reassert itself in the form of rallied "Second Board Votes" in order to help out their favored entrant. See Mario vs Crono 2003 or nearly any Frog matchup for more on this subject.

Non-School Time Trends
On weekends, during the Summer, and on holidays, voting trends differ somewhat as a result of no one going to school. That being said, the general trends still hold for the most part, with a few minor exceptions:


 * the PHV may extend slightly longer as voters are staying up later
 * voter sleep in longer, pushing the BSV back somewhat and more or less causing it to merge with the ASV
 * the combined BSV/ASV is very powerful, but comes to a close somewhat sooner allowing the DSV/SNV to have an increased impact in the final hours of a poll