Online voting for contests is nothing new. However, Wechat-based voting has become a money-making venture in China, reports the Beijing News.

　　网上投票早已不是什么新鲜事了。然而，据《新京报》报道，微信投票在中国已经成了一个发财的机会。

　　Because WeChat is widely used across China, various contests are hosted on Tencent’s social media platform.

　　由于微信在中国使用广泛，多种比赛都在腾讯的社交媒体平台上进行。

　　Often times participants will share a voting link with their contacts or chat groups for various contests in China which require online votes, begging for "a precious vote" for someone they know.

　　通常情况下，参与者会给他们的联络人或聊天群组分享一个中国举办的各种竞赛需要在线投票的链接，求好友为他们认识的人投上“宝贵的一票”。

　　This has spawned a "cottage industry" in China, with people now offering to supply individuals or companies with votes.

　　这催生了中国的“小型手工业”，人们愿意为个人或公司投票。

　　Prices are said to cost around 100 yuan for 300 votes for companies taking part in consumer-based contests, such as "best restaurant."

　　据说，对于参加消费者评比竞争的公司，比如“最佳餐厅评选”，刷票价格达100到300元。

　　Others are offering rates for individual rankings.

　　还有一些为了个人排名提供的报价。

　　These prices can run as high as 8,000 yuan to "ensure" that a person will earn the top prize in these types of competitions.

　　这些价格甚至可以高达8000元，以“确保”某人在这些类型的比赛中获得冠军。

　　The report in the Beijing News suggests concerns are being raised about the vote-buying schemes.

　　《新京报》的报道称，对于这种购买投票的形式，感到担忧。

　　Some argue that the costly voting is promoting negative values, especially for children.

　　有人认为，花钱购买投票是在传播负面价值，特别是对于儿童来说。

　　Education authorities in China have issued a notice, calling for limits in online campus voting.

　　中国教育部门发布了一份通知，呼吁限制校园网上拉票。

　　Authorities are also warning would-be vote buyers that the rankings are ultimately decided by the organizations putting on the vote, meaning a massive payout for the "top prize" can’t be guaranteed.

　　相关部门还警告那些想要刷票的人，排名最终是由组织投票决定的，意味着为了得第一而去购买大量的刷票也是无法得到保障的。