Entertainment

Oscar voting to be conducted online

May 25, 2011 / 11:27 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Actor Colin Firth, winner of the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for "The King's Speech," attends the Governors Ball on Feb. 27, 2011 in Hollywood. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

(CBS/AP) And the winner is... going to be determined online.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is arranging to change its voting system to allow members to make their picks electronically, rather than through mailed, paper ballots the way it's been done for years.

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The approximately 6,000 members of the Academy received a letter recently, asking that they provide updated email addresses. No exact timetable for the shift is in place, but this is the first step, Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger said Tuesday.

The change, which The New York Times first reported, could result in an earlier Oscar ceremony. The show usually takes place in late February.