Calls for public voting reform in the Eurovision community have given us the idea of examining a ranked choice televote.
As we watched Austria win the contest in 2025, once again we saw a jury vote and a televote that were not on the same page. So concerned have some national broadcasters been that a number of them have spoken out about reforms, including Spain, Belgium, and others.
If the current televoting system is not working for everyone, then what is a system that will be fair and agreeable for all countries participating in the contest? That’s the question, and when you have dozens of broadcasters with their own objectives and agendas in the mix, it is not easy getting everyone on the same page. In fact, for the European Broadcasting Union, it may prove very difficult, if not impossible.
An idea that has been floated in the fan community is that of ranked-choice voting (RCV). As we also operate an elections website, we are familiar with the concept, but are you? The goal today is to show you what this system might look like if applied to the Eurovision Song Contest, and then we can assess whether or not it would work.
Ranked Choice Televote: The Video
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In this video, we:
- Go through the current televote system at the Eurovision Song Contest.
- Perform a simulation of what a ranked-choice vote might look like, using randomly-generated numbers.
- Discuss the pros and cons of this proposed reform, and whether or not it would be worth the attempt – or if the EBU would even consider it.
