“‘Instead of just marking an ‘X’ to indicate which one picture they believe to be the best, members will indicate their second, third and further preferences as well,’ Academy President Tom Sherak said. ‘PricewaterhouseCoopers will then be able to establish the Best Picture recipient with the strongest support of a majority of our electorate.“
Along with their recently-announced move to ten Best Picture nominees, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences moves back to a preferential voting system. “The system has long been used in the round of voting which determines the nominees in most categories, but it has not been used on the final ballot for Best Picture since 1945.“