‘American Idol’ Introduces Major Change to Voting System

American Idol is introducing a modern twist to its voting system for Season 24.

The ABC singing competition, which is hosted by Ryan Seacrest with Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood as judges, will be bringing social media into the fold as higher-ups explore new ways for viewers to cast their vote.

Deadline reports that the specific details of the social media voting logistics are still being worked out, and that text and phone voting will still remain an option for now.

“Maybe in three years’ time, we’ll have a conversation where we’re just doing social voting. But right now, you want to ease the audience into something new,” showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick told the outlet Thursday.

Michaels Wolflick said that she’s wanted to bring social media voting into the fold for the past five years as part of meeting “the audience where they are.”

“Back in 2002, when the show began, texting was the new hot thing. We also have to meet the technology where it is, as well,” she explained. “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to vote for their favorites, weigh in from their couch with their second screen, in real time.”

“If we can get Gen Alpha and Gen Z to weigh in a little bit more in the easiest way possible, that’s very exciting. It could tip the scale,” she added, “Trends are always different.”

That’s not the only major change coming to American Idol this season, as the singing competition moves from Sundays to Mondays on ABC for its Jan. 26 premiere. The new season will also be moving its classic Los Angeles-based Hollywood Week to Nashville for Hollywood Week: Music City and introducing the Ohana Round in Hawaii.

The Ohana round, which will take place during the three-episode Hollywood Week, will have the top 30 contestants performing for a group of industry tastemakers, including artists Loren Gray, Anthony Gargiula, Cheryl Porter and Kelly Sutton, social media stars Kaniyia Brown, Terry McCaskill and Evan Ross Katz and Rolling Stone editor Shirley Halperin, for a chance at one of 20 spots moving forward.

American Idol premieres Monday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.