US Trends

how does dancing with the stars voting work

Dancing With the Stars voting is a mix of judges’ scores and audience votes: fans vote online and by text during a limited live window, and those votes are combined with judges’ scores to decide who stays and who goes each week.

How Dancing With the Stars voting works

Each performance night, every couple gets two things:

  • Judges’ scores (paddles you see on TV).
  • Viewers’ votes, cast in real time during the episode.

The show then ranks couples by judges’ scores and separately by public votes; those rankings are converted into points and combined, usually in a 50/50 style system where fans and judges have equal weight. A couple that is low with judges but very high with viewers can survive, while a technically strong pair with weak fan support can still be eliminated.

Think of it like this: judges control half the outcome with their scores, and the audience controls the other half with their phones and browsers.

Ways you can vote

Most recent seasons use two main methods: online voting and SMS text voting.

1. Online voting

  • You go to the official DWTS voting site (usually linked from ABC/Disney pages) and log in or create an account.
  • You may have to verify your email before your first vote counts.
  • Once voting opens during the live show, you select your favorite couples and submit your votes before the window closes.

Typical rules:

  • You must be at least 18 and located in the U.S. or Canada.
  • There’s a set number of votes per method per couple (often up to 10 votes online, sometimes per couple, per voting method).

2. Text (SMS) voting

  • During the broadcast, each couple is assigned a keyword or code, usually the star’s first name (for example, “ROBERT”).
  • To vote, you text that keyword to the DWTS short code, commonly 21523 in recent seasons.
  • Each text counts as one vote, subject to a per-couple or per-method limit (again, often up to 10 votes per couple).

Important notes:

  • SMS voting is generally available only in the U.S. and its territories, not Canada.
  • Standard message and data rates may apply, depending on your carrier.

When the voting window is open

The voting window is short and tied to the live show:

  • Voting typically opens when the live episode starts (for example, 8 p.m. ET).
  • In some guides, it runs from show start until the final dance or shortly after , often closing a few minutes before the end (for example, around 9:50 p.m. ET in a 2‑hour block).
  • Votes submitted before or after that official window are usually not counted.

Because timings can shift between seasons, the show and hosts remind viewers on-air exactly when voting opens and closes each week.

How eliminations are decided

Once the episode ends and voting closes, producers combine judges’ and audience input:

  1. Judges’ scores for the night are added up and couples are ranked from highest to lowest.
  2. Public votes are tallied and couples are ranked again by total votes.
  1. Each ranking is converted to points (for example, top-ranked gets the most points, last-ranked gets 1 point).
  1. Judges’ ranking points and vote ranking points are added together.
  1. The couple with the lowest combined total is eliminated; if there is a tie, fan votes usually act as the tiebreaker.

This is why you sometimes see a “shock” elimination: a high-scoring couple with weak viewer support can still end up at the bottom once both halves are merged.

Strategy tips fans discuss on forums

Fans and forum posters often talk about “gaming” the system within the rules:

  • Use all of your allowed votes on every available method (online plus text) for your favorite couple each week.
  • Vote as early as the window opens to avoid forgetting or missing the cutoff.
  • Some long‑time fans mention that mass, coordinated voting across online communities can meaningfully influence whether a couple survives or gets eliminated.

You’ll also see debates about whether the show tweaks elements for drama, but officially, weekly exits are still described as a combination of viewer votes and judges’ scoring.

Simple HTML table for key details

Here’s a quick HTML table summarizing the basics you asked about:

html

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Aspect</th>
    <th>How it works</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Voting methods</td>
    <td>Online via official DWTS/ABC site, and SMS text to the show’s shortcode (e.g., 21523), when available.[web:1][web:5][web:9]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Who can vote</td>
    <td>Usually viewers 18+ in the U.S. or Canada for online; SMS generally U.S. and territories only.[web:1][web:9]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Vote limits</td>
    <td>Fixed number of votes per method, often up to 10 per couple per method during each live show.[web:1][web:3][web:6]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Voting window</td>
    <td>Opens during the live broadcast (around show start) and closes shortly before or at the end of the episode.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:6]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Role of judges</td>
    <td>Give performance scores; couples are ranked by scores and converted to ranking points.[web:3][web:7]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Role of viewers</td>
    <td>Cast votes online and by text; couples are ranked by total votes and converted to ranking points.[web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Elimination formula</td>
    <td>Judges’ ranking points + public vote ranking points; lowest combined total is eliminated (fan votes often break ties).[web:3][web:7]</td>
  </tr>
</table>

TL;DR: If you’re watching live, head to the official site, text the on‑screen keyword to the show’s number (if available), use every vote you’re allowed, and remember that both you and the judges share the power over who wins the Mirrorball.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.