The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences released a press release Monday evening announcing they would extend the voting period, online or paper ballot, by one day, to Friday, Jan. 4, 5 p.m. Any votes received after the deadline will not be counted. (The original date was Thursday, Jan. 3, 5 p.m. PT).
This is the first year Academy members, some 6000 of them, can cast their ballot online. The fact is many of them are on the mature side and some had problems with this new way of voting.
The Academy said in their release:
“By extending the voting deadline we are providing every opportunity available to make the transition to online balloting as smooth as possible,” said Ric Robertson, Academy COO. “We’re grateful to our global membership for joining us in this process.”
In order to accommodate the extension and maintain security, the online voting system will be closed for two hours only (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PT) on Thursday, Jan. 3. The system will re-open at 7 p.m. PT on Jan. 3 and remain available to members until 5:00 p.m. PT Jan. 4. This is the first year the Academy is providing its membership the opportunity to vote online. Several voting resources are available to members, including assisted voting stations in Los Angeles, New York and London, and a 24-hour support call center.
The nominations and final Awards ballots will be tabulated and verified by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) to ensure that all aspects of the balloting process are accurate and secure. In the majority of the categories, PwC will tabulate the ballots using the preferential voting system.”
The Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. And the Academy Awards will be presented on Oscar Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theater at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on ABC.
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