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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The number of people voting on next year's 81st Golden Globe Awards will top 300, up from about 200 who voted on this year's awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Monday.
"We have exceeded our goal of reaching 300 voters for the upcoming 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards thanks to an extensive global recruitment effort," Helen Hoehne, president of the HFPA, said in a statement. "We are excited at the unprecedented achievement in building a truly global voting body where 58% self-identify as ethnically diverse."
The HFPA came under fire in recent years over its sparse membership and traditional lack of Black members. The group has undergone a massive overhaul of its operations while also looking to expand its membership and the number and diversity of Golden Globe voters.
According to the HFPA, this year's awards will be voted upon by 310 people, 25% of whom are Latino/a, 14% Asian, 10% Black, 9% Middle Eastern and 42% white, with at least 17% identifying as LGBTQIA+.
The current voters hail from 76 countries, including new additions including Cameroon, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Serbia and Tanzania.
The 310 voters include 95 full-fledged HFPA members, and 215 international voters.
"The efforts put forth to identify, engage, and actively recruit diverse voters is strong evidence of the commitment by the Golden Globes to follow through on its promises to expand and reshape itself," Neil Phillips, HFPA chief diversity officer, said in a statement. "It shows that with the right leadership, effective community partnerships and an unwavering focus, we can achieve remarkable and transformational diversity growth."
The 81st Golden Globe Awards are scheduled for Jan. 7.