**Dancing with the Stars Season 35: Everything You Need to Know About Voting**
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The much-anticipated thirty-fifth season of *Dancing with the Stars* premiered on 15th September with an exciting two-night event featuring a fresh line-up of contestants. This season, viewers can support their favourite dancers through a two-pronged voting mechanism: online or via SMS text messaging.

Among the prominent celebrities taking to the dance floor are Julia Stiles, Harry Shum Jr., Jenna Dewan, Maura Higgins, and Guillermo Rodriguez. The series maintains its tradition of combining judges’ scores with public votes to determine which couples continue in the competition. Notably, following a performance by Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, co-host Julianne Hough announced a significant voting hiccup: the online voting platform crashed during the live broadcast.
Voting is crucial for fans who wish to influence the outcome of the show, and the mechanics have been carefully laid out for audiences. Voting kicks off during each episode at 8:00 PM ET and remains open until shortly after the last dance performance. Even if a contestant has not yet performed, viewers are encouraged to make their preferences known before the votes are counted at the end of the show.
Eligible voters, defined as those aged 18 and over residing in the United States or Canada, can cast their votes online through the ABC website. To do so, users must create an account or log into an existing one. Once logged in, fans can select their preferred couples and click “Save Votes” to ensure their choices are secured.
However, due to technical difficulties during the season premiere, Hough mentioned that for that particular night, the online voting could not be counted, leading to calls for SMS-only votes. It remains uncertain whether the online platform will be operational for the second night of the premiere.
For those wishing to vote via SMS, the process involves texting specific keywords associated with each contestant to the designated number, 21523. These keywords, ordinarily the contestants’ first names or abbreviations when necessary, are made clear during the broadcast. For instance, in the case of contestants Conner Leavitt and Connor Wood, viewers were instructed to use “Conner L” and “Connor W” respectively.
Following the initial message, voters receive confirmation of their choice alongside notifications if they exceed the permissible voting limit. Unlike online voting, votes submitted through SMS cannot be altered once sent. It’s also important to note that SMS voting is exclusive to viewers within the United States and its territories, with standard message and data rates applying.
In a notable rule this season, viewers have the power to cast their votes weekly for multiple contestants, although they are limited to ten votes per couple using each voting method. This grants fans the ability to support their favourites up to a combined total of 20 votes for each pair during a given voting period.
*Dancing with the Stars* airs live every Tuesday evening at 8:00 PM ET on ABC, with episodes available for streaming on Disney+ following the broadcast. On the day after the live show, viewers can access the episode on Hulu and through ABC’s on-demand service.
As the season progresses, the blend of celebrity glitz and hardworking dancers will unfold, and the audience’s involvement remains as critical as ever. With new contestants and the excitement of performance combined with the interactive voting system, this season promises to be a memorable experience for both participants and fans alike.
