Emmys to Introduce Online Voting in 2014

Dear Television Academy Member:

As we prepare for the upcoming holiday season, your Television Academy is anticipating a terrific 2014, filled with exciting membership activities, our Hall of Fame celebration, the Television Academy Honors, the Creative Arts Emmy Awards and the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in August.
 
In a survey last year, we asked for your opinions on Emmy voting, and you spoke loud and clear. Some 77 percent of you said that voting for the Emmys was one of the main reasons you joined the Academy — and almost 70 percent of you said you would like to vote online.

We heard your voice and, starting in 2014, you will be able to vote online for the awards. But we were determined not to take this step until we could guarantee the security of our awards process — and be sure that you could vote easily, privately and securely.
 
The result: We contracted with Everyone Counts, a San Diego–based company that has put voting systems in place for city governments and private groups across the country. Its clients include the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

With the help of Everyone Counts, we will introduce online voting in a two-stage rollout. In 2014, online voting will be used only in the first-round, to select Emmy nominees. In 2015, it will be used in both the first and second rounds, to choose nominees and winners.

We want to be clear — if you like your paper ballot, you can use your paper ballot. Period. (At least for the next couple of years.) For those voting online — and we expect this will be most of you — there will be plenty of help available. As we move closer to Emmy season, we'll schedule face-to-face seminars and also answer your questions by phone and at Emmys.com.

Our membership surpassed 18,000 this year, and we now have more than 16,300 voting members. Our new system will make it easier for every eligible member to take part, including those who live overseas or have had problems with domestic mail service.

As the digital transition moves our industry forward, I'm pleased that our Academy is leading the way with programs that reflect the changing television landscape. In the months ahead, I look forward to sharing other exciting Academy initiatives with you. For now, I'm looking forward to casting my Emmy votes online, and I hope you are, too.

Bruce Rosenblum
Chairman and CEO
Television Academy