Eurovision Changes Voting Rules After Israel Controversy to Boost “Trust and Transparency”
EBU halves public votes, restricts promotion campaigns, and strengthens fraud detection ahead of the 2026 contest in Vienna
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced major changes to the Eurovision Song Contest voting system following a wave of controversy surrounding Israel’s recent participation. Organisers said the new measures aim to improve trust, transparency, and neutrality in the competition.
The revised rules will apply to the 2026 edition of Eurovision, set to be held in Vienna next May. Key changes include cutting the number of votes each viewer can cast, introducing stricter limits on promotion activities, and enhancing tools to detect coordinated or fraudulent voting.
Boycott threats over Israel prompt urgent reforms
The announcement comes after several countries — including Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands — warned they might boycott the 2026 contest if Israel is allowed to participate again. Other broadcasters also said they were reconsidering involvement due to the situation in Gaza.
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS accused Israel of a “serious violation of press freedom” in Gaza and claimed Israel engaged in “proven interference” during the last contest by lobbying overseas audiences to vote for its act, which finished second.
EBU: “Eurovision must not be instrumentalised”
Eurovision Song Contest Director Martin Green said the organisation had taken decisive action:
“We’ve listened and we’ve acted. The contest should remain a celebration of music and unity. Eurovision must not be instrumentalised.”
Public votes cut in half under new rules
Under the updated voting system:
Viewers were previously able to cast up to 20 votes per payment method.
Going forward, this number will be reduced to 10.
Professional juries and the public will continue to contribute equal weight to each country’s final score.
This reform comes after Israeli acts received minimal jury support but massive public vote surges in recent years.
Eden Golan rose from the bottom of jury rankings to 5th place in Malmö in 2024, while Yuval Raphael jumped to 2nd place in Basel this year thanks to public voting.
Decision on Israel’s participation delayed to December
EBU members had planned to vote this month on whether Israel would be allowed to compete in 2026. However, after a fragile truce in Gaza, the issue will now be discussed during the December General Assembly.
According to EBU spokesman Dave Goodman:
“Only if members consider the new measures insufficient will there be a vote on participation.”
The final list of participating broadcasters for Eurovision 2026 will be released before Christmas.
Political controversies are not new to Eurovision
Eurovision officially bans politics, but accusations frequently arise regarding political messaging in songs or staging.
In recent years:
Russia was banned following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus was excluded in 2021 due to its contested presidential election.
EBU says it will now increase monitoring to prevent political misuse of the contest through lyrics or stage direction.
