Bosses at the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have changed the voting rules for the Academy Awards – to help make the polling for the coveted Best Picture Oscar more accurate.
The changes mean members will now be asked to rate the ten nominees in order of preference, rather than picking one outright winner.
The news comes after Academy executives extended the final shortlist from five to ten movies, starting with the 2010 ceremony.
It is hoped the new preferential voting system will help the organisation recognise “the picture that has the most support from the entire membership.”
Academy executive director, Bruce Davis, says:
“There are certain mathematical dangers with more nominees. You could really get a fragmentation to the point where a picture with 18 or 20 percent of the vote could win, and the board didn’t want that to happen.”
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