The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has added more than 500 Oscar voters over the past year, according to the annual AMPAS update of the number of members in each of its branches.
As of Dec. 6, according to its Branch Count Report, the Academy has 9,537 total members, an increase of 585 over the 8,952 it had in last December’s count. Of those, 8,469 are eligible to vote, which is 567 more than the 7,902 voters last year.
This is the most eligible Oscar voters at any time since 1945, when the Academy had more than 9,000 voters because of its policy of allowing members of the actors, directors and writers guilds to vote.