Country music fans can now take part in choosing their favorite entertainer by voting online for the Academy of Country Music's entertainer of the year award. The voting begins Thursday and continues through the last hour of the ACM's Award Show on May 18.

The nominees for entertainer of the year are: Kenny Chesney; Brad Paisley; George Strait; Keith Urban; and Rascal Flatts. Fans can vote at www.voteacm.com.

All five will perform during the show, which will be broadcast live on CBS. The show will take place in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Letting the fans vote marks the first time that the public has had a say in who wins. The rest of the winners, throughout the different categories, will be selected by the members of the ACM.

Chesney, who recently injured his foot during one of his performances, is the night's leading nominee with 11 nominations. Besides entertainer of the year, he's up for male vocalist, song and video of the year for "Don't Blink" and vocal event for "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" with Tracy Lawrence and Tim McGraw.

Chesney also received double nominations for artist and producer for "Shift Work" with George Strait, as well as for "Don't Blink" for single of the year and "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates" for album of the year.

Chesney has won entertainer of the year three times in a row, and if he wins again he will tie with Garth Brooks.

The other nominees for entertainer of the year also have multiple nominations. Paisley has four, while Strait has three and Urban and Rascal Flatts each have two.

A win for top vocal group would give Rascal Flatts its sixth straight in that category, tying them with current leader Alabama.