“Dancing With the Stars” Season 35 premieres on ABC amid a voting technology problem. During the live broadcast on Sept. 15, hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro announce issues with online voting after the second and third performances, telling viewers that voting functionality is affected and that the show is limiting how audience votes are counted.
Across the coverage, the glitch is described as causing online voting to be down or unreliable for that episode. Variety reports that after the second dance, hosts say online voting is down and that audiences can only vote via text. After the third number, they say the show will not count all online votes. The Independent adds that all online votes are being thrown out for the night, based on announcements made during the broadcast.
Both outlets frame the issue as a live technical disruption that affects the validity of viewers’ votes for the premiere episode, while the hosts deliver updates in real time. The reports do not indicate whether the problem has broader implications for later episodes, only that it impacts voting during the premiere show.
