EBU Proposes Top-3 Online Eurovision Voting as Israel's 297-Point Public Surge Fuels Reform
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 14
EBU Proposes Top-3 Online Eurovision Voting as Israel's 297-Point Public Surge Fuels Reform
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 14
Summary
Eurovision organizers are weighing a fully online public vote that would require viewers to pick their top three acts, ending repeated votes for a single country.
The EBU said persistent politically driven voting has damaged trust in the contest, with research pointing to the new format as the best way to dilute coordinated block voting.
Israel's 2025 entry crystallized the issue: Yuval Raphael finished 15th with juries but won the public vote with 297 points after official accounts urged supporters to cast the maximum votes.
Rules were already tightened for 2026, cutting the cap to 10 votes from 20, and Israeli broadcaster Kan was formally warned after promotional videos told fans to 'vote 10 times for Israel.'
The proposal comes amid broader Eurovision changes, including a new host-eligibility rule tied to armed conflict, a higher minimum age of 18, and Burgas hosting the 2027 contest on May 12-15.