The selection process for the annual recipient of the Heisman Memorial Trophy Award is governed by policies and procedures instituted by the Heisman Trophy Trust. 870 Media representatives are the main determinants of the trophy's winner, based on the notion that of all experts, sports journalists in particular should possess enough perspective across the spectrum of the game and its notable participants to make informed, competent determinations, and should also possess enough respect for athletics to remain fair and unbiased in their selections. On their voting ballots, the United States is divided into six regions: Far West, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, South, and Northeast. From among the 870 representatives from sports media, the Heisman Trophy Trust selects six to serve as Sectional Representatives, who then divide the total of 870 voting media representatives into sixths and appoint a State Representative for each state within their designated region - who in turn determines the voters for his designated state so that media voters are distributed evenly among the regions for 145 to be allocated to each region - although each region is not actually composed of a sixth of the nation's population. (The Far West, Mid West, and Atlantic all have populations larger than the 16.7% of the votes allocated for each of their regions, while the Southwest, South, and Northeast all have populations smaller than the 16.7% of votes allocated to each of their regions. In fact, the Far West region has the greatest percentage of the country's population, at around 21%, and the Northeast has the smallest percentage of the nation's population compared to the other regions, with only an approximate 12%.) However, after all 870 of the media representatives have been divided evenly among the regions, each state is then allotted its number of votes from among the 145 allocated to its region based on its size and number of media outlets - so a larger state like Texas will have more allocated voters than a smaller state like Maine.
Then all of the living winners of past Heisman Memorial Trophy Awards, including those currently in consideration for another Heisman honor, may also place their votes. Additionally, since 1999, the results of a poll of the public counts as one additional vote - fans are also allowed to vote as a part of a survey administered by ESPN.com, and the results of the survey are factored into the overall voting process as a single vote. ESPN commentators are also allowed to vote for their picks.
Most voting now takes place online. Each ballot is based on a 3-2-1 point system of ranking a given voter's top three picks - a prospective honoree receives one point as a third choice pick, two votes as a second choice pick, and three votes as a first choice pick. Because the point system was implemented specifically to eliminate sectional favoritism from the election process, each ballot must have choices indicated for all three rankings, and a ballot is considered void if unsigned by its voter. The player receiving the highest total after final tabulation becomes the year's official honoree to receive the Heisman Memorial Trophy Award. Deloitte, an accounting firm, conducts the tabulation of the votes once they have all been submitted. The firm is also responsible for mailing ballots and voting instructions to all voters, although online voting on a secured website created and maintained by the firm, has also been allowed as an option since 2002.
Historically, the Heisman winner selection process has received criticism for being biased against West Coast players, as no players from the West Coast received the honor between the twenty years after University of Southern California's starting tailback Marcus Allen won in 1981, and before USC's starting quarterback Carson Palmer won the sports award in 2002. Since the year 2000, three players from the University of Southern California have received the Heisman - but not one West Coast winner has won from outside of USC since Stanford University's quarterback Jim Plunkett won in 1970. In 2009, Stanford's running back Toby Gerhart came closest, ranking second in the tabulations that year in the closest vote in Heisman Trophy history, with only a 28 point margin. The West Coast bias is most commonly attributed to the idea that voters from the East Coast do not view many West Coast games due to hindrances including the gap in time zones (since three of the Heisman's regions fall in the Eastern Time Zone, and West Coast games air very late during the East Coast day), details of television contracts concerning coverage, and differences in cultural interests. Further complaints have arisen regarding the bias, with accusations that the selection process itself is inherently biased because voters are distributed evenly across regions, despite even the most significant differences in population size or the number of Division I football teams.
The author of this article is 10 year veteran in the crystal awards and recognition gifts industry.
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