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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it is introducing electronic voting for the very first time, beginning next year.
The new system will use military-grade encryption techniques to keep the balloting secure.
The Academy said it entered into an agreement with Everyone Counts Inc. to exclusively work with PricewaterhouseCoopers to create the new system.
The current voting system includes paper ballots sent through the mail.
Ric Robertson, the Academy's chief operating officer, said in a statement that it's the first step the Academy is taking "toward developing a secure and convenient electronic voting system."
The 2012 Academy Awards ceremony takes place on Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles and will air live on ABC7.
The event will be hosted by actor Billy Crystal in what will mark his ninth such stint.
