We Finally Figured Out Who Votes for the Emmy Awards Winners

We Finally Figured Out Who Votes for the Emmy Awards Winners

From Good Housekeeping

If you're sitting there wondering who gets to vote for all the 2020 Emmy winners from Sunday night, the short answer is: way more people than we ever imagined.

Who votes for the Emmys and how does it all work?

According to the Emmys' website, the voting process starts with the Television Academy's 24,000+ members. The website reads: "If you are a professional in the television industry you may be eligible for membership and voting." Members are divided into 29 peer groups, each representing various TV professions. We're talking about makeup artists, sound editors, stunt workers, musicians, and many more.

Now, for the nominations round, all 24,000+ people are allowed to vote on 16 specific categories, including Drama Series, Comedy Series, Limited Series, Television Movie, and Variety Talk Show (read the rest here). But when it comes to performer-based awards — i.e. Lead Actress/Actor, Supporting Actress/Actor — and "Individual Achievement" awards — directing or writing — only specific peer groups are eligible to vote.

Photo credit: Kevin Winter
Photo credit: Kevin Winter

From there, once all of the nominees are chosen, eligible members of the Academy verify they've watched the content and cast their votes online for their favorite nominees by the assigned deadline. When the final results have been tallied, Ernst and Young Accountants check the ballots and the winners' names are printed, sealed, and delivered via secure briefcases. Then, it's just a matter of getting the briefcases to Los Angeles and reading them at the Emmy Award show.

And that folks, is the magic behind the Emmys.

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