The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is considering another significant change to the Eurovision Song Contest voting system, with proposals that could fundamentally alter how viewers cast their votes from Eurovision 2027 onwards.
According to information reported on 14 August, the EBU is examining two particularly significant changes: moving the public vote entirely online and requiring viewers to support multiple entries rather than concentrating their vote on a single country. One model being discussed would ask viewers to select their three favourite songs.
Importantly, these proposals have not yet been confirmed as Eurovision 2027 rules. They are currently under consideration as the EBU continues reviewing the Contest’s voting system.
Why is the EBU considering another change?
The latest discussion comes amid continuing concerns about the influence of geopolitics, diaspora voting and organised voting campaigns on Eurovision results.
According to the reported EBU communication, organisers believe that even after measures intended to limit large-scale promotional or coordinated campaigns, the current geopolitical environment can still encourage viewers to support entries for reasons unrelated to the songs or performances themselves.
This is particularly significant because Eurovision has traditionally allowed viewers to cast multiple votes. Under the existing model, a viewer can concentrate several votes on the same country, potentially magnifying the effect of highly organised voting campaigns.
The EBU’s proposed solution would change the philosophy of the public vote itself.
Viewers could be required to choose a Top 3
One of the most interesting ideas under consideration would require viewers to vote for more than one country.
Rather than simply supporting one favourite repeatedly, viewers could be asked to identify something similar to:
1st favourite – Country A
2nd favourite – Country B
3rd favourite – Country C
The exact mechanics — including whether those choices would carry different weighting — have not been confirmed.
The principle, however, is clear: Eurovision would encourage viewers to express a broader preference across several songs, potentially making it more difficult for a single highly mobilised voting campaign to dominate the public vote.
Eurovision voting could become completely online
The second proposal could be even more transformative.
The EBU is examining whether the traditional public voting methods could eventually be replaced by an online-only voting platform.
Eurovision voting has historically relied heavily on telephone calls and SMS messages, although online voting technology is already used for the Rest of the World vote.
Moving the entire Contest to online voting could give organisers considerably more control over authentication, vote limits and fraud prevention. It could also make it easier to introduce more sophisticated voting formats such as the proposed Top 3 system.
However, such a change is not straightforward.
Different participating countries have different telecommunications systems, accessibility requirements and national regulations governing television competitions and voting. The EBU is therefore expected to examine the relevant national legislation during autumn 2026 before deciding whether an online-only system could realistically be implemented across all participating markets.
Could this reduce political and diaspora voting?
That appears to be one of the objectives, although no voting system could completely remove geopolitical preferences.
Eurovision voting patterns have historically reflected several factors beyond the songs themselves, including neighbouring countries, cultural connections, migration communities and major political events.
Requiring viewers to select several favourites could theoretically distribute votes across a larger number of entries.
For example, somebody primarily motivated to support one particular country might still select that country as their first choice, but would also have to identify additional favourites. Those secondary selections could consequently give more competitive songs additional support.
Whether this would meaningfully change the final scoreboard would depend heavily on how the EBU converts those individual choices into each country’s traditional 1–8, 10 and 12 Eurovision points.
Another major voting reform after recent changes
The discussion is especially notable because Eurovision’s voting rules have already undergone substantial changes in recent years.
The EBU has repeatedly adjusted the balance between professional juries and the public vote, introduced the Rest of the World vote, changed the maximum number of votes available to individual viewers and strengthened rules surrounding organised promotional campaigns.
The Eurovision 2027 regulations also leave room for further changes to the National Audience Voting system, meaning the voting mechanics can still be amended before the Contest takes place.
The latest proposals therefore suggest that the EBU’s review of Eurovision voting is far from finished.
No final decision yet
For now, Eurovision fans should treat the online-only and Top 3 systems as proposals rather than confirmed changes.
The EBU is expected to examine the technical and legal implications before deciding whether the system can be introduced for Eurovision 2027.
If approved, however, it could represent one of the biggest transformations of Eurovision’s public voting system in decades — changing not only how viewers vote, but potentially how Eurovision campaigns are organised and how the famous scoreboard ultimately develops.
With the 71st Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Burgas in May 2027, the voting system could therefore look considerably different by the time Europe and the rest of the world are asked to choose their next Eurovision winner.