Concerns over e-voting push Oscar nomination deadline back by 24 hours

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:07:00 +0000

On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced plans to extend the voting for Oscar nominations by 24 hours, to Jan. 4. The move comes as a sort of last-ditch effort to ease the transition from paper ballot voting to e-voting, which has been fraught with technical issues, including log-in issues, voter ID mismatches and concerns of hacking. The Academy's chief operating officer, Ric Robertson, said in a statement that "By extending the voting deadline we are providing every opportunity available to make the transition to online balloting as smooth as possible."

And indeed, the Academy has been working hard to make its first electronic vote seamless for its members, who, until Dec. 14 of this year, still had the option to vote via a paper ballot. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

A mailing went out several months ago offering members the option to vote by paper ballot, as long as they requested one by Nov. 30 -- a deadline that later was extended to Dec. 14. The Academy subsequently sent paper ballots to any members who paid their dues but never replied with a preference. It also set up e-voting stations in Los Angeles, New York and London, where Academy officials can help walk members through the process. And there's also a toll-free help line, with Academy operators available 24/7.

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Concerns over e-voting push Oscar nomination deadline back by 24 hours