Can Nominees Vote For The Emmys?

It's all happening again: Emmy Award season is upon us. Despite going through 67 of these already (I mean, I haven't personally since I'm only 24, but you know what I mean) every year, I have to say: I'm perplexed by the often-Googled questions about the logistics of the show. Like, who votes for the Emmy Award winners anyway? And, more importantly, can Emmy Award nominees vote for themselves?

The answer to each is murky because the Emmy Award winner process is kept really secret — but what's certain is you have to be an Academy of Television Arts and Sciences member. According to the official Emmys site, the Academy focuses on peer recognition: therefore you have to be in the entertainment industry in order to pay a fee and join. There are over 20,000 members — but after the members streamline the nominees through an initial voting process, the actual Emmy winners are picked through a small fraction of judging panelists.

The judges (who, as HowStuffWorks explains, are chosen by the Academy from a pool of volunteers) are then divided into peer groups — that is, actors judge actors, directors judge directors, and so on. (Everyone, it should be noted, ultimately votes for the best program category.) The point is, all the decisions regarding the Emmys are determined by these clusters of very anonymous academy members. For example, the acting category is made up of about 50 to 75 judges selected by the Academy, and they can only vote for fellow actors.

BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

It means that if a nominee is part of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, it's plausible that they could vote, at least when it comes to the selection of nominees (would they even be considered a nominee then...? This is getting way too existential). But, regarding the selection of winners? It seems strange that the Academy would purposefully select a nominee to serve as a judge.

In any case, you can catch the 67th Emmy Awards Sept. 20, and see how all that secretive voting works out!

Images: Giphy (1)