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January 28, 2010

ULM's Putnam works through rigorous Miss America preliminaries; viewers get chance to vote for favorite candidates starting Jan. 29

Miss Louisiana 2009 Katherine Putnam and other Miss America contestants have been put through the paces this week with a rigorous schedule of preliminary competitions, press appearances and show rehearsals. On Wednesday, Jan. 27, Putnam did her on-stage question with the judges.

“It’s like boot camp,” said Darris Waren, vice president of the Miss Louisiana Organization, of the 16-hour workdays the contestants endure. “It really is almost like survival of the fittest!”
Now Putnam’s fans will have the opportunity to vote for their hometown favorite to become a finalist in the Miss America Pageant.

Putnam, a 23-year-old senior music performance major at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, will be eligible to receive votes by simply using a wireless phone to text keyword Louisiana to 97979. Message and data rates may apply. Fans may vote up to five times.

Voting opens following a pre-show special airing Friday, Jan. 29, titled “Miss America: Behind the Curtains.” Voters may start texting at 9:58 p.m., C.S.T. and continue until polling closes at 4 a.m., C.S.T, on Jan. 30. Any text messages sent outside the voting window will not count.

The results will be revealed during the Miss America Pageant live on TLC on Jan. 30.

Voters will receive a return text message confirming each valid vote cast. If a voter exceeds the five-vote limit, he or she will receive a return text message saying no more votes will be counted.

To view guidelines of the voting procedure, as well as online videos of each of the contestants and other fun Miss America 2010 features, click this link.

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