BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.(Reuters) - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences mailed ballots Tuesday to the 4,263 members who will pick nominees for the 2002 Oscars, which will be handed out in March.
The ballots were mailed out under the supervision of two members of the academy's accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the Beverly Hills postmaster, a spokesman for the firm said.
"The ballots are counted and sorted, and in addition each ballot is numbered to guarantee that it goes to the correct Academy voter," said PricewaterhouseCoopers spokesman Greg Garrison.
After nominees are named in February, the academy will mail new ballots to its members to choose the winners.
The 74th annual Academy Awards, the movie industry's highest honors, will be presented on March 24 during a gala show broadcast live on ABC from the new Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
Actress-comedian Whoopi Goldberg will return as host of the program, which is typically watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world.
© 2002 Reuters/Variety REUTERS