As senior superlative ballots open, some seniors wrongly publicize themselves in hopes of cheaply gaining votes.

Ever since the ballots opened, social media has been buzzing with “Vote for me for [insert superlative here], I would really appreciate it!” This self-promotion comes off as arrogant and turns the voting process into a mere popularity contest filled with empty promises.

In many ways, the self-promotion lessens the meaning of superlatives. If the person parading themselves around to win “Most Likely to Brighten Your Day” goes out of their way to appear friendly, their efforts seem forced and inauthentic.

“You shouldn’t have to promote yourself for a superlative because people should already know who you are. To gain a superlative, people need to see you being that kind of person,” senior Johnny Hayman said.

If someone truly deserved the award, they would not need to broadcast to the school that they should win it. In most cases, the people voicing their aspirations of obtaining the award are not the ones most deserving.

Of course, I understand why seniors promote themselves. They want to gain a sense of self-worth or to simply gloat.

In certain cases, the right person absolutely deserves their desired accolade.  Jack Dimmett should be a shoe-in for “Most Changed Since Freshman Year.” His appearance and personality has drastically changed, more than anyone else in the school.

Jack promotes himself, but not in an obnoxious, “verify my self-worth” way. He subtly posts pictures of himself from his freshman year and people take note. That act is understandable, as people forget things from four years ago all the time. However, many people obnoxiously promote themselves for superficial titles such as “Most Likely to Brighten Your Day,” or “Most Talented.”

“If the voting is supposed to be a spontaneous recognition, then [self promotion] isn’t right,” AP World History teacher Carolyn Galloway said.

Self-promotion for senior superlatives is wrong, as the people most deserving of the recognition need no parade requesting votes. To all the people asking for votes: If you win solely because you are popular and ask the world for votes, does that not make your award less valuable?