Oscars Gain More Than 200 Voters – but Actors Branch Keeps Shrinking

The number of Academy members who are eligible to vote for the Oscars has pushed close to 9,800, according to an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences branch count dated Dec. 14.

A record 9,797 members are eligible to cast ballots beginning on Thursday, Jan. 11. That’s an increase of 218 over last year, when 9,579 members were eligible to vote. In June of 2023, the Academy invited 398 film professionals to join, but that influx was likely counterbalanced by existing Academy members who died or moved to nonvoting status.

Of the 17 Academy branches that existed at the beginning of the year, 16 showed increases in membership, with the Executives Branch having the largest increase, 46.