It just seems a little suspicious. If the rules are clear and unbreakable (one vote per day with an IP address identifier to prevent multiple votes from one user per day) then how can there be vote tampering?

The thing is, while young white females (the target demographic for the website) may have only been able to identify with only one or the other of the two documentaries by the white filmmakers, for the most part every young black female can relate to some or all of Ms. Davis' film. As such, there is a greater likelihood that there would be a concentration of votes for Ms. Davis' film.

The whole thing just seems a bit fishy.

If Cosmogirl were smart they would have left the contest as it was. They would have had in increase in a more diverse readership for the August issue and possibly been able to find a way to turn those readers into subscribers.

Not having watched the videos, I predict that Kiri Davis will have to win now. Hearst is smart. They know that if she doesn't win now, after they interfered with the voting process, they will have a PR DISASTER on their hands.

1. Telling someone to vote for a film because it was by a black person is racist. Racism toward white is not only common but accepted by other races.

2. I've lost track of the times a person who was darker skinned than me (fair skinned) has taken issue with me based on my skin color. You can never avoid people like that no matter what color they come in so just move on.

The bottom line is that every one has problems and struggles in life. Very few people of any race or ethnic background are weathy. I worked my ass off for everything I have and was treated unfairly, for whatever reason, because that is what happens to everyone in life. Get over it! If there is a line for free stuff for white people then I never found it. You have to work hard in life no matter who you are or what you look like. It drive me nuts when people feel sorry for themselves for superficial reasons.

Lanie,
Just because life isn't fair doesn't mean we have to sit back and allow people to treat us badly. Where would our world be if the generations before us stood by and kept allowing the abuse to continue instead of speaking out against the bad treatment? You aren't the only person that works hard. This young lady worked hard to become a finalist and didn't deserve the treatment she received. I voted for her not only because she is black but because of the video content. I have also received some bad treatment due to my light skin. I am not saying black people are perfect nor is any other race. Some people just have a problem with who they are. However I admire Kiri (dark or light) for taking out the time to produce something that she is passionate about and not just something that will please everyone. I don't feel like she or the girls in the film feel sorry for themselves like you stated. I look at it as speaking out against what they disagree with. Lastly, there is a thing called "white privilege" so lets not be naive. I am not saying white people get everything but blacks do have to work harder to get where they want to be in life. Yes everyone struggles and gets treated badly, but you don't always have to stand by and take the abuse.

It’s so nice to see that everyone is so passionate about this issue. The problem is that you are all way off base!!! This is not a black, white or green issue… it’s a cheating issue!!! I realized two days into the voting that something was wrong. Now I’m no computer genius, but it didn’t take me but five minutes to figure out how to beat the “Flash” voting system and vote as many times per day as I wanted (it wasn’t one vote per IP address as previously stated). If I could figure out the flaw in the system, anybody could. I’m ashamed to say that I did what I could to help my candidate (without her knowledge of course). My admission alone should constitute vote tampering. But while I was doing my thing, I watched the numbers role for the other two candidates faster and better then I could pop them in. The cheating was not exclusive to any race of people… it was universal. Clearly… all three candidates had friends who “enhanced” the voting for them. So while race relations may have a long way to go in this country, this minor contest should not be the battle field. As a great man once said, “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

It’s so nice to see that everyone is so passionate about this issue. The problem is that you are all way off base!!! This is not a black, white or green issue… it’s a cheating issue!!! I realized two days into the voting that something was wrong. Now I’m no computer genius, but it didn’t take me but five minutes to figure out how to beat the “Flash” voting system and vote as many times per day as I wanted (it wasn’t one vote per IP address as previously stated). If I could figure out the flaw in the system, anybody could. I’m ashamed to say that I did what I could to help my candidate (without her knowledge of course). My admission alone should constitute vote tampering. But while I was doing my thing, I watched the numbers role for the other two candidates faster and better then I could pop them in. The cheating was not exclusive to any race of people… it was universal. Clearly… all three candidates had friends who “enhanced” the voting for them. So while race relations may have a long way to go in this country, this minor contest should not be the battle field. As a great man once said, “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

Too bad it takes a rag as vapid and sub-standard as Cosmo for people became passionate over this issue. Whether it's a cheating or race issue, it's still Cosmo - bottom-feeding "reporting" at its finest and hardly worth the uproar!