ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Voting Closes – How to Vote This Week

When Tyra Banks, host of Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars, wrapped up the live performances on Monday, October 20, 2025, the voting clock started ticking. The show, produced by ABC in partnership with Disney+, announced that the audience‑participation window had officially closed at 12:01 PM UTC on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. That closure matters because the American public’s votes, combined with judges’ scores—including those from longtime judge Derek Hough—determine which celebrity‑dancer pair will be safe next week. The short code 21523 sits behind every text vote, while the official site dwtsvote.abc.com serves as the digital hub for online ballots. In short, if you missed the live broadcast, you missed the chance to influence the competition.

Current Voting Status and What It Means

The notification that “Voting is now closed” appears verbatim on the official voting portal. That message isn’t a generic placeholder; it’s a live status update tied to the broadcast schedule. According to the site’s timestamp, the latest window shut down just after the Monday night episode, meaning the next round of votes won’t open until the live show on Monday, October 28, 2025, at 8:00 PM EDT. Viewers in the continental United States typically have roughly a 30‑minute window after the final performance to cast their votes before the system locks.

How to Vote – The Three Official Pathways

• Online voting: Go to dwtsvote.abc.com during the live episode, select your favorite couple, and confirm with a one‑time verification text.
• SMS voting: Text the designated keyword for each couple to short code 21523. After the first vote for a given pair, you’ll receive a confirmation message that also serves as a carrier‑rate disclosure.
• Live‑broadcast voting: Use the on‑screen prompts on ABC or the Disney+ livestream to vote instantly with your remote or mobile device.

All three methods feed into the same backend system maintained by Disney Streaming Services in New York City. The data is then cross‑checked by an independent verification firm contracted by ABC Entertainment, though the firm’s name isn’t publicly disclosed.

Rules, Restrictions, and Technical Details

The FAQ on dwtsvote.abc.com makes it clear that each voter can cast a limited number of votes per method per episode, though the exact caps are hidden behind the voting interface. The short code 21523 is registered with the Common Short Code Administration, so standard carrier rates apply – typically a few cents per message, depending on the provider (Verizon, AT&T, T‑Mobile, etc.).

One noteworthy restriction: you can’t vote for the same couple multiple times via the same channel within a single window. If you try, the system will ignore the extra attempts and you’ll see a brief “vote not counted” notice. This rule helps keep the competition fair and prevents vote‑stacking from a single source.

Why This Matters to Fans and the Show’s Future

Audience voting has been a cornerstone of Dancing with the Stars since its inception in 2005, but the 2022 shift to a dual‑broadcast model (ABC + Disney+) added a new layer of complexity. Fans now have to stay tuned to both the traditional TV slot and the streaming feed to catch every voting prompt. The tight voting window creates urgency, which in turn drives live‑viewership numbers – a metric ABC watches closely as it negotiates advertising rates.

Moreover, the voting data feeds into broader analytics that Disney uses to gauge audience engagement across its platforms. A surge in text votes, for example, can signal a demographic that prefers mobile interaction, prompting the company to tweak future interactive features.

What’s Coming Up – Next Voting Window

The next voting period opens with the October 28 live episode. That show will feature the Week 6 performances, after which the voting clock starts ticking again. Fans should have their smartphones ready, the proper keywords handy (the FAQ page lists each couple’s code), and a stable internet connection if they plan to vote online. The results, of course, will be revealed in the following week’s results segment, so the suspense continues.

Background: How Audience Voting Evolved

When Parade Media first covered the show’s voting system in a 2025 guide, they noted three distinct phases: early telephone polls in the 2000s, SMS‑based voting after 2010, and finally the digital platform launched in 2022. Each transition reflected broader tech trends and the network’s push to capture younger viewers who are more likely to engage via smartphones and streaming services.

The shift also aligned with regulatory changes from the Federal Communications Commission. The one‑time SMS confirmation message now required by the FCC ensures that voters are aware of any charges before the short code is billed, a safeguard that wasn’t in place during the early phone‑poll era.

Today, the voting ecosystem sits at the intersection of broadcast television, streaming, and mobile communication – a triad that few reality shows have mastered as seamlessly as Dancing with the Stars does.