Eurovision organizers are considering an overhaul of the contest’s voting system for 2027, including a possible shift to fully online public voting requiring viewers to choose their three favorite acts, as part of efforts to limit coordinated campaigns that could affect the outcome.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is said to have issued a letter to participating broadcasters, suggesting the vote is moved entirely online, with the public forced to select their top three acts.
The suggested changes aim to dissuade the public from voting multiple times for one contestant, according to BBC News.
The current voting system allows viewers to vote up to 10 times per payment method for their favourite act by phone, text message or online.
A statement from Eurovision said: "We can confirm that we have begun investigating a move to wholly online audience voting for the Eurovision Song Contest and more details will be announced in the months ahead."
In 2025, several broadcasters raised concerns about social media posts on Israeli government accounts encouraging people to vote multiple times, and whether they may have influenced the results of the competition.
The country was represented by Yuval Raphael with "New Day Will Rise," and won the public vote - placing second in the competition overall.
The incident sparked concerns about the Eurovision rules, and the EBU responded in 2026 by reducing the maximum number of votes per payment method from 20 to 10.
Israel also placed second in the public vote in 2024 and came fifth overall.
The EBU announced new rules for the 2027 competition earlier this week, and said that the winning broadcaster will "automatically be ineligible to host" if their state is involved in an "armed conflict" or "sensitive geopolitical situation."
It comes after the U.K. hosted the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, which was unable to host due to the Russian invasion.
Leading up to the 2026 Vienna competition, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia threatened to withdraw unless Israel was excluded over its war crimes in Gaza.
The nations did not compete in the most recent contest.
The EBU said the recent rule changes were made following feedback from participating broadcasters, adding the new rules would provide greater clarity for artists and production staff.
The organization also announced several other changes earlier this week, and stated that from 2027 all artists must also be at least 18-years-old, rather than 16, on the day of their first rehearsal.
A requirement for the lead singer or singers to perform the main melody live was also among the new rules.
The 2027 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Burgas, Bulgaria, after singer Dara won this year’s event in Vienna, Austria, in May.
The EBU has been contacted for comment.
