LOS ANGELES—In what television audience-representation advocates are terming a long-overdue change to an archaic system, NBC announced Wednesday that popular singing competition show The Voice has amended its rules to allow viewers who aren’t white landowning males to cast their votes in the show’s 17th season. “Until recently, the polling system on The Voice was a prejudiced anachronism, a relic from an unfortunate period of our history. We no longer live in the dark, backward days of 2011. It’s time for a change,” said NBC spokesperson Sarah Simari, explaining that the Founding Showrunners originally believed the only viewers educated and responsible enough to make judgments of vocal performances were respectable upper or middle-class white males who owned property. “It’s about time we recognize that women and minorities can judge an overcooked amateur cover of Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’ just as well as any white man. Hopefully, these new changes will ensure that the winner of the record deal and $100,000 prize will reflect the opinions of free people everywhere.” Representatives of rival network ABC announced they will work on amending the rules of American Idol, which currently counts Lionel Richie’s votes as worth three-fifths those of a white person.

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