How Can I Vote for My Favorite American Idol?

How can I vote for my favorite American Idol? Voting is as simple as dialing a phone or sending a text message. However, the wild popularity of the American Idol talent show can sometimes cause a mass of call and text votes that result in a temporary busy signal.

American Idol
American Idol is an extremely popular talent show that revolves around singing. The program departs from traditional talent shows in a very clever way. Instead of a set of judges having control over who wins and loses, the show has American viewers call in and vote for the best contestants. Whomever receives the lowest vote totals in a given week is eliminated from competition.

American Idol Voting
During American Idol, especially towards the end of the program, there is a list of phone numbers and text message codes you can use to vote for each contestant. There is a two hour window at the end of each show for viewers to use their favorite contestant's special number or code to call or text in their vote.

Voting Periods
The two hour voting window for American Idol is broken up by time zones. Your specific time zone is not necessarily linked to your geographic location. The area code registered to the land phone, cell phone or text messaging device used will determine the time zone you vote in. So if your cell phone has a Los Angeles area code, it doesn't matter if you're visiting Maine-you have to vote during the west coast period.

If you try to vote for American Idol before or after the voting window for your time zone, your vote will not be registered. Trying to vote before your voting period can result in a confirmation error. You will be told you voted successfully, but the vote will not actually count. If you vote after your voting period has ended, you will get a busy signal that beeps very quickly, signaling that the voting is closed.

Voting FAQS

• Price. Voting for your favorite contestants in American Idol is a toll-free call. However, using a cell phone or texting your votes will still cost you the same amount it normally would to call or text. The call is really only toll-free if you're using a land line. The charges for using a cell phone or text depend on your specific cell phone agreement. Texts must go through AT&T Mobility and there may additional fees, depending on your service agreement.
• Busy Signals. Due to the sheer volume of viewers that vote for American Idol, it's not uncommon to get a busy signal or undeliverable text message when trying to vote. This is particularly true for about the first hour of voting. Just wait 5 to 15 minutes and try to vote again.
• Confirmation. If you call in a vote for American Idol, you will hear a prerecorded message stating the contestant the number is related with and after you confirm your vote, you will hear another message thanking you for voting. If you text message your vote you will receive a confirmation message. If you try to vote before your area code's voting window, you may receive a false vote confirmation that will not count in the registered vote.