A series of voting reforms have been proposed to the Eurovision Song Contest that will enter into force from the 2026 Contest. These rules will include reduced maximum votes, a wider-ranging jury and rules on how countries can or cannot promote their entry. Member stations will have until the General Assembly to decide if the package suits them and avoid a vote on Israel’s expulsion from the Contest.
“We have listened”
In a statement on the voting reform, Martin Green — Director of the Eurovision Song Contest — said that the rules were agreed upon by the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group, the group that decides the rules of the Contest. He said:
We’ve listened and we’ve acted.
The neutrality and integrity of the Eurovision Song Contest is of paramount importance to the EBU, its Members, and all our audiences. It is essential that the fairness of the Contest is always protected. We are taking clear and decisive steps to ensure the contest remains a celebration of music and unity. The Contest should remain a neutral space and must not be instrumentalized.
Alongside the changes we are announcing today, we will also strengthen enforcement of our existing rules to prevent any misuse of the Contest for example through song lyrics or staging. And we will work closely with Members to ensure they fully understand and are also accountable for upholding the rules and values that define the Song Contest.
This is the reform that could be introduced:
Reform on promotion of entries
In the wake of Basel, several countries demanded clear televoting breakdowns after Israel topped the televote after an aggressive promotional campaign. While their result was not officially put down to the promotions, further investigations by the EBU themselves found the Israeli government was paying in part for the promotion of its song.
New reform in promotion and the clear definition of the rules of promoting entries has now been released. Voting campaigns will be prohibited if it is “disproportionate” and is to be run either by a third-party, or by the national government. The official rule change reads:
Participating broadcasters and artists are not permitted to actively engage in, facilitate or contribute to promotional campaigns by third parties that could influence the voting outcome and, as outlined in the updated Code of Conduct, any attempts to unduly influence the results will lead to sanctions.
Maximum vote number halved
For years, the maximum number of votes that viewers could give from one device was 20 votes. This provided fans with an opportunity for viewers to vote for as many songs as they could. However, a weak spot was identified following the 2024 and 2025 Contests, when many saw the potential for voting manipulation, but voting all 20 times just for one country. When added with multiple devices, this could easily disrupt the vote and change the results quite drastically.
But from 2026, the maximum number of votes available to viewers will be halved from 20 to 10. This will also apply to the method of payment instead of device. Therefore, one phone or credit card can be used as a means to prevent voting fraud. Viewers will also be told to vote for as many different songs as possible during the show.
Return of the juries to the semi-finals
Following the scandal of jury collusion that emerged following the 2022 Contest, the EBU counteracted this threat by removing juries entirely from the semi-finals. As a result, only the televote would decide who would qualify for the final from 2023 to 2025.
But now, the EBU has renegued on this rule, and is now bringing juries back to the semi-finals. The EBU said these measures are to ensure “optimum musical balance and diversity in songs”, whilst recognising well-composed entries are just as recognised as those which are popular.
Jury diversification
On top of the juries returning to the semi-finals, jury reform has also been introduced. Juries will now consist of 7 different people, up from 5. As well as this, the reform also insists that members of the jury can also now include stage directors, choreographers and music journalists to provide a wide range of opinions. Every jury will also have to have two members aged between 18 and 25 to appeal to the younger demographic the show pulls in.
In order to ensure fair play, part of the reform will require all jury members to formally declare they have voted independently and individually and will not discuss their voting until after the entire Contest is over.
Increased fraud detection
As well as these committments, the EBU has said it will enhance its partnership with its voting partner, Once, to detect any potential fraudulent voting patterns. They also will expand the system’s security in order to maintain the trust of the popular vote.
Next steps
Following the publishing of the proposed reform, the package will be put before the EBU’s Members at the next General Assembly, estimated to be around December 4th. Members will be asked whether they are in favour of the change or not. The EBU added that these questions will be asked of the member broadcasters in order to avoid a vote taking place on the potential for Israel’s exclusion from the Contest.
Several nations had threatened to withdraw from the competition due to alleged voter fraud in the wake of Basel. After this, countries such as Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands have said they will withdraw from the Contest if Israel is included, or if adequate voting reform is not brought in.
After a decision is made on reform, the EBU will set out to finalise the number of countries taking part in Vienna. The final list of participants will be published before Christmas.
The story of Eurovision 2026 so far
The journey to the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off immediately following JJ’s win in Basel, when Austria’s ORF accepted the rights to host the 70th edition of the contest. The bidding process started in June, with interested cities having until July 4 to submit their bid book. Innsbruck and Vienna were shortlisted, with the latter winning the right to host next year’s contest.
As for the organisation of the competition, the ‘core team‘ was revealed in June 2025, with further details about next year’s competition to be revealed in due course. The shows will take place on May 12th, 14th and 16th.
What do you think of the voting reform being brought in? Do you think it will help or hinder the Contest going forward? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: EBU
Photo Credit: EBU
Euan T