DreamWorks, Universal PicturesIt's safe to say Oscar and e-voting don't exactly make for a good pairing.
Some unexpected glitches with its new electronic voting system have prompted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to extend the voting deadline for nominees for the 85th Annual Oscars by 24 hours.
The Academy originally told its 5,700 members to have their online or paper ballots submitted by Thursday, Jan. 3, at 5 p.m. PT. But because of problems with the new computerized voting method it recently deployed to making the process easier, the folks behind Hollywood's biggest night will keep online voting open until 5 p.m. PT on Jan. 4.
"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, the Academy's chief operating officer, in a statement. "We're grateful to our global membership for joining us in this process."
Traditionally, Academy Award nominations have been decided by paper ballots mailed in. But the addition of online voting has caused numerous issues, with some industry folks having trouble obtaining the necessary passwords to register their vote and having to wait to receive a new password via regular mail.
That's prompted concerns, as The Hollywood Reporter notes, that older, less tech-savvy members might not have their voices heard, resulting in a skewed crop of nominations that could hurt some of this year's big contenders like Les Misérables and Lincoln in favor of edgier fare like Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom or Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master.
Several filmmakers, such as Super Size Me documentarian Morgan Spurlock, have even called the Academy asking for assistance.
"The password they sent didn't work for my log-in – and they couldn't email me a new log in, only snail mail," the 42-year-old director tweeted.
Oscar nominations are scheduled to be announced on Jan. 10, while the actual ceremony is set for Feb. 24 and will be hosted by Family Guy guru Seth MacFarlane.