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Just two points of clarification: first, RhodyBeat.com is a user-generated site moderated by the staff of Beacon Communications (Warwick Beacon, Cranston Herald and Johnston Sun Rise). No one from this organization promoted the poll on outside websites, with the exception of our own Facebook page, on which we directed readers to the Cranston Herald homepage to vote. We cannot, however, forbid other people from promoting the poll. I'm sure people on both sides of the issue encouraged their friends and like-minded people to participate.

Second, polls remain on the site indefinitely so people can refer back to comments, but when the results of this poll were published, there were just under 2,000 votes cast - clearly, a very different picture than what has accumulated since then. How that works, is each week's Herald is uploaded at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. That week's poll is featured on the homepage until a new edition is uploaded, but results are captured at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays to allow us to reverse publish a snapshot of the poll at that moment in time, and still make deadline. This poll continues to appear as a "hot story" on RhodyBeat because our site uses a formula that factors page views, comments, shares, etc. together and keeps the most popular items in prominent places on the homepage.

Meg Fraser

Cranston Herald Editor