Fair Play in Action: Why MIC It Happen Removed Invalid Votes

Mic it Happen art card

At MIC It Happen, we’ve always believed that talent shines brightest when it’s backed by integrity. As we move forward in the competition, we want to address recent questions about vote reductions and reaffirm our commitment to fairness, transparency, and respect for every artist and supporter.

What Happened

During our audit of Session 1 voting data, our system detected a surge of entries that violated our fair play standards. These included:

• Mass entries created within seconds of each other

• Repetitive or fabricated voter identities

• Identical vote targets from questionable sources

• Patterns consistent with email blasts or automated submissions

These entries were flagged and invalidated by our Fair Play Enforcement System, which actively monitors all voting activity in real time.

A Note to Finalists and Supporters

We recognize that many finalists promoted their entries with enthusiasm — and we celebrate that effort. However, it’s also possible that some supporters, acting independently, used unfair methods to boost vote counts. Whether intentional or not, these actions compromise the integrity of the competition.

This is why we’ve built safeguards to protect everyone involved. The following warning was prominently posted before voting began:

Fair Play Banner on website

Fair Play Enforcement System Activated

" This system is actively monitoring all voting activity.

Duplicate votes are automatically detected, flagged, and permanently invalidated.

Any attempt by any party involved to interfere with the integrity of the voting process will be recorded and may result in disqualification or exclusion from future participation.

VOTE ONLY ONCE.

ENSURE YOU HAVE GOOD DATA/WIFI INTERNET CONNECTION.

Your support is appreciated—but fairness is non-negotiable.

REAL-TIME VOTE COUNTS ARE MADE AVAILABLE AS PART OF OUR TRANSPARENT REPORTING PRACTICES.

THESE RAW NUMBERS OFFER VISIBILITY, BUT ONLY THE AUDITED TOTALS REPRESENT THE OFFICIAL RESULTS.

The official vote count is audited and reconciled at the end of each day."

This warning was not symbolic — it was enforced. The system actively monitored all voting activity and flagged entries that violated these terms. The audit and reconciliation process ensured that only valid votes were counted toward official results

What We Did

Votes flagged as part of this suspicious surge were:

• Reviewed individually

• Cross-referenced with known fair play indicators

• Removed if deemed inauthentic or in violation of our rules

These actions were taken uniformly and without bias, based solely on data patterns and system flags.

To illustrate this process, here is a screenshot showing a sample of flagged entries. Personal data has been redacted:

Screenshots of flagged voting entries showing mass creation within seconds. Key columns are highlighted to illustrate repetitive patterns and timestamp clustering. Personal data has been redacted to protect privacy. More on record!

Moving Forward

We remain committed to:

• Transparency: All vote audits are documented and traceable

• Fairness: Every contestant is held to the same standard

• Respect: We honor the passion behind every performance and campaign

MIC It Happen is more than a competition — it’s a community built on talent, trust, and truth. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to the next round of performances, where real artistry takes center stage.

MIC It Happen Team

Where talent meets integrity