The DWTS Voting System Shakeup: 5 Crucial Changes Fans Demand For The 2025 Season

The way you vote for your favorite celebrity dancers on Dancing with the Stars is on the brink of a major overhaul, following a season that broke all previous records for fan participation. As of the current date in late 2025, the core rules for the elimination process remain a 50/50 split between judges' scores and audience votes, but the sheer volume of participation—with one season recording over 50 million votes—has forced producers to look for a more "modern" and robust system.

The current system is notorious for its extremely tight, live-only voting window, which often leaves viewers in the Pacific and Mountain time zones scrambling or completely excluded from the process. This has fueled significant fan backlash and accusations of unfairness, leading to the promised system shakeup. Understanding the current mechanics is essential before diving into the controversies and what the future of DWTS voting will look like.

The Current DWTS Voting System Explained (Season 34/2025)

The Dancing with the Stars voting process is a precise, high-pressure operation that combines professional critique with audience enthusiasm. The final result for each episode is determined by an equal weighting: 50% from the combined scores of the judges, and 50% from the total number of fan votes received.

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The Two Official Voting Methods

Viewers have two primary, official methods to cast their ballots for their favorite celebrity and professional dancer pair:

• Online Voting: This is done via the official ABC website at dwtsvote.abc.com. You must create an account and verify your eligibility. This method is generally available to viewers in the United States, its territories, and Canada.
• SMS Text Message Voting: This method is only available to viewers within the United States and its territories. Each celebrity couple is assigned a specific SMS keyword that fans must text to a designated number.

The Strict 20-Vote Limit

To prevent any single fan from dominating the results, there is a strict limit on the number of votes you can cast per couple each week. You are allowed up to 10 votes via the online method and up to 10 votes via the SMS text message method. This means a maximum of 20 votes can be cast for any single couple during the live broadcast.

The Critical Live-Only Voting Window

This is the most controversial aspect of the current system. The voting window is open only during the initial live simulcast of the show. It begins at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT and closes immediately after the final dance of the evening, before the last commercial break.

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• East Coast and Central Time Zones: These viewers can vote live as the show airs.
• Mountain and Pacific Time Zones: These viewers are often at a massive disadvantage. Since the show airs at 8:00 p.m. ET, it airs at 5:00 p.m. PT on the West Coast. This means West Coast viewers must vote during the live broadcast, often while they are still at work or commuting, and the window closes before the show even finishes airing in their local time slot.

The Controversy That Forced a Change: Why DWTS Needs a Modern System

The call for a "modern" voting process is not new, but it reached a fever pitch during recent seasons. Record-breaking vote totals—including an episode that saw over 16 million votes and a season total that topped 50 million—highlighted the immense audience engagement, but also the system's vulnerabilities.

The Bristol Palin Effect

One of the earliest and most famous controversies that exposed the power of the fan vote was the 2010 season featuring Bristol Palin. Despite consistently low scores from judges like Len Goodman and Carrie Ann Inaba, Palin survived multiple weeks due to massive fan support, leading to widespread speculation about vote rigging and calls to give the judges' scores more weight.

Fake Email and Voting Scams

More recently, fan-led investigations have raised concerns about the online voting process. Accusations of viewers using fake or disposable email addresses to create multiple accounts and cast far more than the allotted 10 online votes have plagued the show. This controversy has sparked intense debate about the fairness of the competition and the need for better voter verification technology.

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The Season 34 Finale Scandal

Even the most recent finale of Season 34 was hit by a "voting scandal." Fanbases, fiercely loyal to their favorite couples, were accused of aggressive, organized voting campaigns that some felt overshadowed the actual quality of the ballroom dancing. These ongoing issues have made a system overhaul an undeniable necessity for the show's credibility.

Speculation: What Will the 2025 'Modern' Voting Process Look Like?

While the exact details of the 2025 voting "shakeup" have not been officially announced, the producers' commitment to a "modern" process suggests several key changes are likely to be implemented to address the years of fan complaints and controversies.

1. Extended Voting Window

The most crucial change is expected to be an extension of the voting window. To finally include all time zones fairly, the window may be extended to 24 hours, or at least until the following morning. This would allow Pacific and Mountain time viewers to cast their votes after the show has aired in its entirety, leveling the playing field for all North American fans.

2. Enhanced Voter Verification

To combat the use of fake emails and multiple accounts, the online voting system will likely incorporate stronger verification methods. This could include two-factor authentication, mobile number verification, or even linking the voting system to a verified Disney+ or ABC account, significantly raising the barrier for fraudulent votes.

3. Weighted Judges' Scores

There has been a long-standing debate about increasing the weighting of the judges' scores—from the current 50% split—to ensure that high-quality dancing is rewarded over sheer popularity. While a complete shift is unlikely, a slight adjustment to a 60/40 split in favor of the judges (Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli) could be a compromise.

4. A Dedicated DWTS Voting App

Although online voting is mobile-friendly, a dedicated, streamlined mobile application could be a key component of the "modern" system. A dedicated app would allow for easier management of accounts, better push notifications for the voting window, and a more secure platform for vote submission and verification.

Key Entities and Topical Authority in DWTS Voting

Understanding the context of the Dancing with the Stars universe requires recognizing the key figures who influence the scores, the eliminations, and the overall fan experience. The judges' scores are just as important as the fan votes in the 50/50 split, making their critique essential to the elimination process.

Current and Past DWTS Personnel

The show's history of hosts and judges provides crucial context for the elimination process and the evolution of the fan-judges dynamic:

• Current Hosts: Alfonso Ribeiro, Julianne Hough
• Current Judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli
• Former Host: Tom Bergeron, Tyra Banks
• Former Judge: Len Goodman (served as a judge from 2005 until 2022)
• Notable Producers: Rob Wade, Ashley Edens-Shaffer, Megan Wade
• Key Professional Dancers (Pros): Mark Ballas, Ezra Sosa
• DWTS Concepts: Ballroom Dancing, Latin Dances, Judges' Save, Mirrorball Trophy, Disney Night, Elimination Process, Live Simulcast, Fan Votes.

The impending changes to the Dancing with the Stars voting system mark a critical moment for the long-running reality competition. The record-breaking engagement of Season 34 has proven that fan enthusiasm is higher than ever, but the current live-only, 20-vote structure is no longer sustainable. As the show moves toward Season 35 and beyond, a "modern" voting process will be necessary to ensure fairness across all time zones and maintain the integrity of the competition, ultimately leading to a more satisfying and less controversial viewing experience for millions of fans.