Oscar ballots were mailed Wednesday to the 5,777 voting members of the academy. Voters have until 5 p.m. (PST) on Tuesday, March 2, to return them to PricewaterhouseCoopers, that well-known "independent accounting firm," which will tally the votes.

The ballot lists Oscar nominees in only 19 categories. Members are required to attend screenings if they wish to vote for foreign language film, documentary features and shorts, and animated and live-action shorts. The winners of all 24 races will be revealed during the Oscars telecast on Sunday, March 7.

PricewaterhouseCoopers has set up a special section on its website with info about the balloting process. Learn such tidbits as how many days it takes to count the nomination ballots (seven) and final round (three). Also, how many ballots have been tallied over the accounting firm's 76 years on the job (450,000).

Photo: Oscar accountants Brad Oltmanns, left, and Rick Rosas. Credit: PWC

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