How the Strictly Come Dancing vote works in 2026: online, with a BBC account
Fans place the Strictly Come Dancing vote online only, on the BBC's Strictly website or through the on-screen QR code, signed in to a BBC account. Each account gets five votes per voting window, rising to eight in the final. Phone, text, email, red button and the iPlayer app are not accepted, and the BBC's 2026 voting terms were updated on 14 September 2026.
Compiled by BuyContestVotesNow editorial desk / Checked
Tonight's closing time, today's end of voting and the deadline date
The vote runs inside a Saturday-night window. It opens towards the end of the show, after all the couples have danced, and the BBC says it closes later that night. No single clock time applies every week: viewers are told the closing time on a week-by-week basis, depending on the scheduling of the programme, and the general terms add that vote lines open and close at the times specified on the programme. So the Strictly Come Dancing voting closing time moves with the broadcast, and a page that prints one fixed hour for every week is guessing.
Two dates are on record. The voting terms were updated on 14 September 2026 and apply only to the 2026 series, and Evoke reports that the first vote-off lands on October 4, with results on the Sunday results show after the Saturday vote. For the Strictly Come Dancing voting closing time tonight, the published wording gives no hour. The answer is the pattern: later that night, with the hour announced that week. Whatever the day, today's deadline is the one the programme states, and only the broadcaster can confirm it.
Online, not near me: where to find the vote and who can use it
The vote has one home: the Strictly website on the BBC, reached directly or through the QR code shown on screen, which takes viewers straight to the vote page. There is no venue, no booth and no phone route, so nothing sits near anyone; location matters only for eligibility. The broadcaster opens the vote to individual consumers in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and states that it is not open to agencies, businesses or companies. The Strictly Come Dancing vote online is the only route its voting information accepts.
The organiser names its own website and the QR code and nothing else. An upcoming Strictly ballot therefore has one place to be found, and a link that does not end at that vote page is not a route the BBC names. No list of third-party sites belongs in the picture.
- Accepted: the Strictly website, and the on-screen QR code that leads to the same vote page.
- Not accepted: the iPlayer app on a Smart TV, tablet or smartphone.
- Not accepted: phone, email, red button or text.
- Eligible: individual consumers in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
- Not eligible: agencies, businesses and companies.
How to enter a vote: the link, the page and the BBC sign-in
Entering starts with the link. The Strictly website carries the vote page, and the on-screen QR code opens that same page directly, which makes a phone camera the quick way in from the sofa. Nothing else is named as an entry point for Strictly: no text number, no phone line, no button inside the iPlayer app. The sign-in comes before any choice, since the account has to exist before a submission can count, and registration is open to anyone who does not yet have one.
Voting times: the Saturday opening, week one and week two
The Strictly Come Dancing voting times follow the broadcast rather than a clock. The BBC says the vote opens towards the end of the show on Saturday, after all couples have danced, which means the Strictly Come Dancing voting opening times depend on how long the dancing runs. The voting times tonight are therefore tied to the running order, and the window shuts later that night.
Week one is the exception. The BBC says there will be no public vote in the first week of 2026 and no couple will be eliminated at that stage, and The Independent describes the same tradition for week one of the competition. Viewers get their first opportunity to vote in Week Two, according to the BBC's own report on the opening show, and Evoke puts the first vote-off on October 4. So week one ends with no Strictly Come Dancing voted out couple, and the first departure follows a Week Two vote.
The voting app: what the BBC says about the iPlayer app and phones
No Strictly Come Dancing voting app appears in the voting information, and the one app it does mention is ruled out: fans cannot vote through the iPlayer app on a Smart TV, tablet or smartphone. The BBC names no Strictly Come Dancing voting app free download or store listing; it names a website and a QR code. On a phone the route is the browser, reached by scanning the code or opening the Strictly website.
The general terms and conditions carry telephone wording. They describe voting by telephone from a UK landline or mobile when phone voting is open, while the 2026 voting information says fans cannot vote by phone, email, red button or text, and another BBC page on the show says viewers vote online only. For 2026 this page follows the dated, series-specific wording, updated on 14 September 2026 and applying only to that series.
The BBC account behind every Strictly vote
Every Strictly ballot starts with a BBC account. To cast a vote, a viewer must sign in to that account, and anyone without one must register first. The allowance is written per account: up to five votes per voting window for every show, rising to eight in the final. The sign-in and the cap belong together, because the account is the unit the allowance is counted in.
Age is handled at registration. The account instructions include users under 13, who give a username but no email, and the BBC notes that it cannot contact them, so the username and password must be remembered. The voting page itself states no separate minimum voting age. Status is handled in the terms: individual consumers in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, never businesses or agencies.
The current terms are dated. They were updated on 14 September 2026 and apply only to the 2026 series.
Flagged as fake: the BBC's conditions and the penalties it omits
The published wording states conditions and states no penalties. The conditions are sign-in to a BBC account, a vote from an individual consumer in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, and a submission inside the allowance of five per window, eight in the final. What happens to a ballot that breaks one of them is not described, and neither is disqualification, so this page invents no rule. Nor does the BBC explain how a fake vote would be detected.
One check is stated, and it comes after the window closes: the public vote is independently verified once it has closed. The general terms add that results are aggregated before any announcement. What the organiser publishes of its checking ends with those two lines.
Who goes home: the Sunday results show and the count the BBC keeps private
Results come on the Sunday results show after the Saturday ballot, as Evoke reports for the first vote-off on October 4. There is no live tally or leaderboard in what the BBC publishes: it says it does not disclose the exact voting figures, and results are aggregated before any announcement. Live standings are not part of what the organiser publishes.
That leaves the allowance as the only number on record: five per account per window, eight in the final. A total of votes cast in a week is not published, and this page does not estimate one.
| Rule | What the BBC states |
|---|---|
| Online route | The Strictly website, or the on-screen QR code that opens the same vote page |
| Closing time | Later on Saturday night, with the hour announced week by week |
| App and other routes | iPlayer app, phone, email, red button and text are not accepted |
| BBC account | Required to vote; anyone without one registers first |
| Allowance | Five votes per account per voting window, eight in the final |
| Who can vote | Individual consumers in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man |
| Week one | No public vote and no elimination |
| Vote figures | Exact voting figures are not disclosed |
| After closing | The public vote is independently verified |
Do this in order
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Open the Strictly vote page
Go to the Strictly website on the BBC, or scan the on-screen QR code, which opens the same vote page directly. The iPlayer app on a Smart TV, tablet or phone cannot be used.
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Sign in to a BBC account
Sign in with a BBC account, or register first if you do not have one. Under-13 users register with a username and no email, so the username and password need to be remembered.
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Wait for the window to open
The vote opens towards the end of the Saturday show, after all couples have danced. In the first week of 2026 there is no public vote, and voting starts in Week Two.
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Submit within the allowance
Choose a couple and submit, staying inside five votes per voting window, or eight in the final. The window closes later that night, and the closing hour is announced week by week.
Fast answers
How to vote for Strictly Come Dancing?
Sign in to a BBC account, open the Strictly vote page from the BBC website or the on-screen QR code, and submit your choice within the allowance. Anyone without an account registers first. Phone, text, email, red button and the iPlayer app are not accepted, and the vote is open to individual consumers in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
How many times can you vote on Strictly Come Dancing?
Each BBC account can cast up to five votes per voting window, rising to eight in the final. The BBC calls this a maximum for the 2026 series, so five is the ceiling for any window. The online route is the only one the BBC accepts.
How many votes for Strictly Come Dancing tonight?
Each BBC account has up to five votes in tonight's voting window, or eight in the final. The first week of the 2026 series has no public vote at all, and voting starts in Week Two. The BBC gives no figure for how many votes fans send in total.
How to vote for Strictly Come Dancing tonight?
Vote on the Strictly website, or scan the on-screen QR code, once the window opens towards the end of Saturday's show. A BBC account sign-in comes first, and the window closes later that night at an hour announced week by week. Voting tonight online is the only option the BBC accepts.
How to vote for Strictly Come Dancing 2025?
The BBC's voting terms apply only to the 2026 series, so they do not describe how fans voted in 2025. No 2025 voting date, allowance or closing time can be drawn from them. For the current series, the dated voting information states the route, the sign-in and the cap.
How many people vote on Strictly Come Dancing?
The BBC does not disclose the exact voting figures, so no count of how many people vote on the show is published. The number of votes cast each week stays private too. What the BBC does state is the allowance per account: five per window, eight in the final.
When does voting close on Strictly tonight?
Voting closes later on Saturday night, and the BBC tells viewers the exact closing time week by week. The hour depends on the scheduling of the programme, so no fixed clock time is published. The general terms say vote lines open and close at the times specified on the programme.
What does the BBC do about a fake or rule-breaking Strictly vote?
The BBC's published voting information states no penalty for a fake or rule-breaking vote. It does state the conditions: sign in to a BBC account, vote as an individual consumer in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, and stay within five per window. It also says the public vote is independently verified once it has closed.
References
- bbc.co.uk. bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1X4ySd2Dzmg00cg4ZDc8DmC/voting-info.
- bbc.co.uk. bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1X4ySd2Dzmg00cg4ZDc8DmC/voting-info.
- bbc.co.uk. bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1X4ySd2Dzmg00cg4ZDc8DmC/voting-info.
- bbc.co.uk. bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1X4ySd2Dzmg00cg4ZDc8DmC/voting-info.
- bbc.co.uk. bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/16rGc8M34fT0wWYmrSMc8Cp/about.
No page can decide a Strictly result: the broadcaster alone sets the rules, the voting window and the count, and it publishes neither exact voting figures nor a penalty list for ballots it rejects. Buying votes for a Strictly contest is not something this page offers or explains. The vote is open only to individual consumers signed in to a BBC account, with a cap on each one.
Each organiser's own terms decide which votes are valid, and an organiser can void votes or disqualify an entry. ITV's Love Island terms limit each registered mobile number to one vote per voting event and rule out any method the terms do not state. America's Got Talent asks voters to register and accept its official voting rules, with a cap of ten votes per act, per voting method, per voting window. The American Music Awards decided each winner by the total of valid votes in the category.
Organisers write an ordinary voter down in numbers. The American Music Awards allowed up to 30 votes per award per day on each voting platform, the NASCAR All-Star Race fan vote allowed five a day per unique email address, and the iHeartRadio Music Awards allowed 50 a day per category. A crowd of separate voters stays inside limits like these and arrives day by day, with busier days when an organiser opens a boost. This describes how organisers count; it is not a way around a check.
We give no legal advice and cite no statute: the terms that bind a fan vote are the organiser's own, and they fix who may vote. Dancing with the Stars online voters must be at least 18 and in the United States, its territories or Canada; Love Island USA voting is open to US residents aged 18 or older, or with parental permission. We refuse member-only ballots such as the ACM Awards, categories an organiser decides itself, as MTV did with Best Video, and any vote for public office.
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The part of a request that is not delivered before the organiser's voting closes is refunded. A result, a disqualification and a voided vote are never refunded, because the organiser decides all three. Nor is a vote's worth inside the format covered: the MLB All-Star ballot did not carry Phase 1 totals into Phase 2, and at The Game Awards fan voting is one tenth of the vote that decides winners.