The 2026 edition of “American Idol” has reached the point when viewers determine which contestants will move forward in the competition. Voting began with the March 16 episode, which featured the first half of season 24’s Top 20 singers, performing at Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa and vying for viewers’ votes in hopes of making it into the Top 14. But with changes to the voting system, things got a little rocky and some votes didn’t get counted on social media.
As the second group of 10 contestants perform on the March 23 episode, viewers will be able to vote again for their favorites. Here’s a detailed look at what’s changed and how to make sure your votes count.
Social Voting Has Specific Rules or Votes Don’t Count for ‘American Idol’ Contestants
GettyThe biggest change in 2026 is that the old “American Idol” voting app is a thing of the past. Instead, the show has introduced social media, becoming the first reality TV competition to allow voting via social media platforms, per Deadline.
Here’s how it works. As the two-hour episode starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time, a special voting post will be pinned to the top of the “American Idol” Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts. Look for the purple post that shows all 10 performers of the night and how to spell their names. This post is where you will cast your votes, in the comment section.
In that special social media post (on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok), viewers can vote up to 10 times for each contestant by typing in the singer’s FIRST name only in 10 separate comments. For example, if you want to cast a vote for Keyla Richardson, you’d type in KEYLA — nothing else — in up to 10 separate comments. If you also want to vote for someone else, like Ruby Rae, you’d type RUBY in up to 10 other comments on the post.
IMPORTANT! Here’s how to ensure your votes get counted:
- Do NOT try to take a shortcut and write something like “KEYLA x 10” or “10 Votes for KEYLA.” Each comment only equals one vote.
- Do NOT reply to your own comments or others’ comments with a contestant’s name. Replies will not be counted, only original comments.
- Do NOT post more than one name in a comment. Only the first name in a comment will be counted. So, if you try to write something like “Chris, Lucas, and Rae,” that would only earn a vote for Chris.
Only viewers 18 and older are allowed to participate in social voting, per ABC’s rules, with votes accepted on the posts until 6 a.m. Eastern time on March 24.
2 Other Ways to Cast ‘American Idol’ Votes — Texting & Online
DisneyWhile the social voting is new, “American Idol” is keeping its online voting and text voting for now, too. Viewers can use these tactics to increase the number of votes they cast. As with the social votes, online and text votes also close on March 24 at 6 a.m. Eastern time.
For voting by text, you can text a favorite contestant’s unique number to “21523” as soon as each episode starts (8 p.m. Eastern time). You can do this up to 10 times; their unique texting numbers are above.
For online voting, go to AmericanIdol.com/Vote (once the episode starts) and you’ll be able to cast up to 10 votes per contestant you’d like to see move on in the competition. If you don’t already have a MyDisney account, you’ll be able to create one with your email address. To vote online, you must be at least 16 years old and located in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, per ABC’s rules.
Voting results for the shows on March 16 and 23 will be revealed at the start of the March 30 episode, as host Ryan Seacrest announces the Top 14. Those contestants will then have to perform as viewers vote DURING the show, and two more singers will be sent home at the end.
