The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday took a long expected step to ensure that this year's best-picture winner won't be hated by 90 percent of its members: preferential voting. In a preferential voting system, votes for the least popular first-choice movie are eliminated and those members' second choices are taken into account. The process continues until a nominee receives more than 50 percent of the votes. Academy spokesperson Leslie Unger confirmed that the organization would apply the same preferential voting system it uses in the nomination process to best-picture voting starting this winter. The news was first reported by The Wrap. Such a move has been in the works since the Academy decided in June to expand the number of best-picture nominees from five to 10. At the time, Academy Vice President Hawk Koch said there would be a change in the voting process, stating: 'We want to make sure that 11 percent does not win the best picture.' Under the old system, members simply voted for their first choice. With 10 nominees, that would mean a movie with one vote more than 10 percent theoretically could be named best picture. Other categories will continue to use the traditional single-vote process to pick winners. The change marks the first time the Academy has used preferential voting for best picture since at least 1944, when it reduced the number of nominees from 10 to five. 