Voting for the Million Writers Award appears to be going smoothly, with just over 500 people casting their votes so far. "Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken" by Matt Bell (Storyglossia) remains in first place with 18% of the vote, while "Friday Afternoons on Bus 51" by Sruthi Thekkiam (Blackbird) and "The Surgeon's Tale" by Cat Rambo and Jeff VanderMeer (Subterranean) are close behind.

So far attempts to stuff the ballot have been manageable and I've only had to remove a few votes. I should also note that there isn't that big a vote difference between the top five ranking stories, so this remains a very competitive race which can easily swing any way. Remember, voting ends on July 17.