As always, TIME's editors will choose the Person of the Year, but that doesn't mean readers shouldn't have their say. Cast your vote for the person you think most influenced the news this year for better or worse - in both a straight yes/no poll and a candidate face-off. Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 4, and the combined winner of our reader polls will be announced on Dec. 6. TIME's Person of the Year will be announced Dec. 11.
Angela Merkel: Germany’s re-elected Chancellor is the woman who holds the key to securing the future stability of the troubled European Union.
Vladimir Putin: The Russian President locked horns with the U.S. over the fate of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden—who now lives in exile in Moscow—and served as a key obstacle to Western plans for intervention in the Syrian conflict.
