Newsmakers at the 2011 GeekWire Gala: Scott MacFarlane of Avalara, Ben and Emily Huh of Cheezburger, Mike McSherry of Swype, Darrell Cavens of Zulily, Jason Kapalka and John Vechey of PopCap and T.A. McCann of Gist/RIM.

It’s election day across the land. And if you’ve already cast your ballot, here’s your chance to participate in an electoral process of a slightly different (and likely more fun) kind.

As we did last year, GeekWire is picking the top Newsmakers of 2012, choosing the people in the Pacific Northwest technology community who had the biggest impact this year. We’ll recognize the group at the GeekWire Gala, taking place December 6th at McCaw Hall in Seattle.

Now, we’ve got a short list of folks who we think will make the cut. But we could use your help.

Who made their mark this year — pushing the boundaries of innovation; selling their companies for a hefty sum; or simply doing something truly extraordinary that put the Seattle area on the global technology map?

Leave your suggestions in the comments below, or send an email to john@geekwire.com with your nominations.

Thanks to our sponsors for making the GeekWire Gala possible: Filter, Microsoft Outlook.com, MailChimp, Knoll, PaperGMcAdams Wright Ragen, Deloitte Digital,  SEOmoz, and Vittana.  Contact Rebecca Lovell (rebecca@geekwire.com) for remaining sponsorship opportunities.

Early bird rates end November 11, so get your tickets today.

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