American Idol voting
the VoteFair way
The poll here correctly identifies the most-popular and least-popular contestants. How? It uses all your preferences — and all the preferences of other voters — in VoteFair ranking calculations. (For reasons explained, it does not predict who will win.)
(Also on this page: season 10 poll (the Country-music season), cross-season poll through season 9, season 9 poll (with its crazy results), cross-season poll through season 8, season 8 poll (and why text messaging tipped the balance), cross-season poll through season 7, season 7 summary, cross-season poll through season 6, season 6 summary, season 5 summary, earlier cross-season polls, and Jennifer Hudson's early elimination)
Cross-season poll, Seasons 1 through 10
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Current Results |
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You can vote just once in this year's cross-season poll! |
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Cross-season poll commentary
Many fans of Haley Reinhart have found, and voted in, this cross-season poll. They have ranked James Durbin, Scotty McCreery, and Lauren Alaina "insincerely" low, which is an attempt to vote "strategically". After fans of those and other singers have voted here, the overall ranking will be more accurate. As in any poll, the results are controlled by who votes, and who doesn't.
What are the “99%” and “Occupy Wall Street” movements overlooking?
The “Occupy Wall Street” and “99%” movements realize that money has excessive influence in politics, but they have not yet realized that the 1% easily outvotes the 99% because elections use single-mark ballots, and that this unfairness allows the 1% to take advantage of vote splitting that happens — either unintentionally or planned — in primary elections. The unfairness is hidden because single-mark ballots do not collect enough information to reveal which candidate is really the most popular, and because the winner of every primary election is always from the correct political party.
The current strategy behind the 2012 Presidential election
Right now the 1% is choosing which Republican presidential candidate to support. At the same time the 1% is making sure that if their choice is not the most popular among voters, they will make sure that there are at least two other choices on the Republican primary ballot. The result of a strong three-way race will be vote splitting among the two more-popular candidates, combined with lots of media support for the money-backed favorite, resulting in the money-backed favorite getting more votes than either of the more popular candidates.
If any conservative Presidential candidate chooses to run independently — which Donald Trump is considering — then vote splitting will happen in the general election, and that would either re-elect Obama or trigger the Constitutional provision in which the winner is chosen by the House of Representatives (with each state getting one vote). Or it could trigger the new provision that some states have adopted, which requires those states to look at the “popular vote” to determine which candidate deserves their electoral votes. Unfortunately single-mark ballots do not collect enough information for any method to correctly identify which candidate is really the most popular.
Regardless of the details, the 2012 Presidential election looks like it will have major surprising twists and turns.
If VoteFair ranking were used, the choice of candidates would include at least a few problem-solving leaders, and the best one would be elected. Under the current election methods, the only candidates who have a chance of getting elected are the special-interest puppets.
Why is there no VoteFair poll for the X-Factor show?
A fan of this site has asked "why is there no VoteFair poll for the X-Factor show?" Here is the answer:
For the American Idol show, the role of the VoteFair polls is to assist voters, who in turn are meaningfully helping their favorite singers. Note that on American Idol the judges do not win or lose.
In contrast, the X-Factor show amounts to three music producers and Paula Abdul being the contestants. The show calls them "judges", but they aren't. They control the singers. And each producer/"judge" favors "his" or "her" singers. That's too much intervention for the voters to feel like their votes are the only factor in determining who wins.
For a similar reason there are no VoteFair polls for shows in which the "judges" get to vote; that makes it difficult for audience votes to override the judges' votes. TV producers who try to replicate the success of American Idol are failing to realize that the popularity of American Idol is due to the fact that the voters are the only people who determine who wins. The voting method — using only first-choice votes, just like in government elections — isn't fair, but at least the voters cannot be outvoted (or out-strategized) by anyone else.
Why not vote for the worst?
A website visitor has asked "why not vote for the worst?" There are several reasons, including these:
- Most voters would pretend that their most-disliked choice is the contestant who is the biggest competitor to their favorite, and they would try to "bury" that competitor in an attempt to protect their favorite. Even with first-choice-only voting such a strategy is unlikely to put the competitor into the bottom. If this kind of voting were used officially, it would lead to bigger surprises than what now occur.
- In the VoteFair American Idol poll, anyone can start at the bottom of the ballot and mark their most-disliked choice, and work upward toward their favorite choice. The voting and the counting method are symmetrical. As for the results, usually they would come out about the same, particularly in terms of who is most popular and who is least popular.
- Perhaps the most important reason for not voting for the worst is that it fosters hatred, which is already in excessive abundance around the globe. Contests are intended to be entertaining, and mean-spiritedness detracts from the enjoyment. Remember that enjoyment is more important than who wins and who loses. (Part of the reason the American Idol TV show is so popular is that it is fun to watch, and fun to talk about.)
This topic brings up an interesting question. When you are in an audience clapping for performers, and the loudness of the clapping is being used to determine who is most popular, is it ethical to clap loudly for your favorite choice and then only pretend to clap (with very little sound) for all the other contestants? That's an ethical question for you to consider. Fortunately the antidote to that technique is to recognize that measuring the loudness of clapping usually does not produce fair results when there are more than two choices, just as using first-choice-only ballots (and "plurality" counting) usually does not produce fair results when there are more than two choices.
Season 10
Below is a table that summarizes the main causes of Season 10's early and delayed eliminations.
| Contestant |
Early or delayed elimination |
Vote splitting or concentration |
AT&T text- messaging issues |
Phone voting issues |
Online voting issues |
Country-music voting bloc |
| Haley Reinhart |
Early (slightly) |
Vote splitting (slight, three ways) |
Non-viewers voting |
Saturated lines (texting advantage) |
Disliked (versus Lauren) |
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| James Durbin | Early |
Vote splitting (James/Haley/Lauren) |
Non-viewers voting |
Phone-system failure |
(Reports of failures) |
Disliked (relatively) |
| Jacob Lusk | Delayed | Concentration |
Power voting? (demographic unknown) |
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| Pia Toscano | Very early |
Vote splitting (not first choice of enough fans) |
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| Casey Abrams |
Early (then saved) |
Vote splitting (not first choice of enough fans) |
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| Thia Megia | Delayed |
Concentration (online votes) |
Votes from Philipines |
Link to Season 10 commentary
For poll results, click on the column headings in the summary table below.
Season 10 summary table
The asterisks (*) below indicate the early elimination of Haley Reinhart and James Durbin, the very early elimination of Pia Toscano, the almost-elimination-and-saving of Casey Abrams, and the delayed elimination of Jacob Lusk.
| Photo | Contestant | Top 12 females Top 12 males |
Top 7 females Top 6 males |
Top 12 | Top 11 First Week |
Top 11 Second Week |
Top 9 | Top 8 | Top 7 | Top 6 | Top 5 | Top 4 | Top 3 | Top 2 | Winner |
 | Scotty McCreery | 2 (m) | 3 (m) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Winner |
 | Lauren Alaina | 3 (f) | 2 (f) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Runner-up |
 | Haley Reinhart | 4 (f) | 4 (f) | 10 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1* | Out | -- |
 | James Durbin | 3 (m) | 2 (m) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* | Out | -- | -- |
 | Jacob Lusk | 4 (m) | 6 (m) | 9 | 9 | 8 (tie) | 9* | 8* | 7* | 6* | 5 | Out | -- | -- | -- |
 | Casey Abrams | 1 (m) | 1 (m) | 4 | 4* | 4 Judge's save! | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Stefano Langone | 6 (m) (wildcard) | 5 (m) | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Paul McDonald | 5 (m) | 4 (m) | 8 | 8 | 8 (tie) | 8 | 7 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Pia Toscano | 1 (f) | 1 (f) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3* | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Thia Megia | 2 (f) | 3 (f) | 7 | 6 | 9 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Naima Adedapo | 7 (f) (wildcard) | 5 (f) | 12 | 11 | 10 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Karen Rodriguez | 5 (f) | 6 (f) | 11 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Ashthon Jones | 9 (f) (wildcard) | 7 (f) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Lauren Turner | 6 (f) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Robbie Rosen | 7 (m) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Tim Halperin | 8 (m) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Julie Zorrilla | 8 (f) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Brett Loewenstern | 9 (m) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Jovany Barreto | 10 (m) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Kendra Chantelle | 10 (f) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Clint Jun Gamboa | 11 (m) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Rachel Zevita | 11 (f) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Jordan Dorsey | 12 (m) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
 | Ta-Tynisa Wilson | 12 (f) | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Cross-season poll, Seasons 1 through 9
Below are the final results (and detailed results) for the cross-season poll (after removing multiple votes from the same voter). Lee DeWyze is ranked insincerely low by the more-numerous (in this poll) Siobhan Magnus fans, but he is not popular enough compared to Kris Allen to become the second-most-representative choice. As usual, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood are near the top. The popular non-winners — Siobhan Magnus, Jennifer Hudson, and Clay Aiken — who are (here) more popular than their season's winner reminds us of the unfairness caused by vote splitting — and voting irregularities.
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Season 9
Link to Season 9 commentary
The asterisks (*) below indicate the early eliminations of Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert, Katelyn Epperly, Lacey Brown, Didi Benami, Katie Stevens, and Siobhan Magnus, the almost-elimination-and-saving of Michael Lynche, and the delayed eliminations of Paige Miles and Tim Urban.
| Contestant | Top 12 females Top 12 males |
Top 10 females Top 10 males |
Top 8 females Top 8 males |
Top 12 | Top 11 | Top 10 | Top 9 First Time |
Top 9 Second Time |
Top 7 | Top 6 | Top 5 | Top 4 | Top 3 | Top 2 | Winner |
| Lee DeWyze | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Winner |
| Crystal Bowersox | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Runner-up |
| Casey James | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Out | -- |
| Michael Lynche | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5* Saved | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | Out | -- | -- |
| Aaron Kelly | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | Out | -- | -- | -- |
| Siobhan Magnus | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1* | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Tim Urban | 12 | 8 | 7* | 12* | 9* | 10* | 9* | 8* | 7 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Katie Stevens | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5* | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Andrew Garcia | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Didi Benami | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7* | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Paige Miles | 11 | 8 | 8* | 11* | 11 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Lacey Brown | 10 | 9 | 6 | 8* | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Lilly Scott | 3 | 3 | 3* | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Alex Lambert | 8 | 4 | 3* | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Katelyn Epperly | 6 | 5 | 5* | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Todrick Hall | 7 | 7 | 8 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Michelle Delamor | 7 | 7 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| John Park | 10 | 9 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Jermaine Sellers | 11 | 10 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Haeley Vaughn | 12 | 10 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Tyler Grady | 6 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Janell Wheeler | 8 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ashley Rodriguez | 9 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Joe Muņoz | 9 | Out | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Cross-season poll for seasons 1 through 8
The results of this cross-season poll (after removing duplicates) reveal that fans of Clay Aiken and David Archuleta are well-networked and telling one another to vote here. Each season, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood are at or near the top because they are popular among all the people who vote here, even though they don't get as many first-choice votes.
Adam Lambert appears to be less popular, but the VoteFair representative ranking results reveal that he would be the most popular if the ballots from Clay Aiken fans were ignored. This also means that most Clay Aiken fans rank Adam Lambert insincerely low.
Overall, notice that this kind of comparison—where every ballot counts, and every voter ranks all the candidates—reveals true popularity more accurately than simply counting first-choice votes. (If your favorite wasn't in this poll, note that they didn't do well in previous cross-season polls.)
| Popularity | Choice |
VoteFair ranking score |
Traditional vote count (for comparison) |
| First-most popular | Clay Aiken (season 2) |  |
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| Second-most popular | Kelly Clarkson (season 1) | |
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| Third-most popular | Carrie Underwood (season 4) | |
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| Fourth-most popular | David Cook (season 7) | |
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| Fifth-most popular | David Archuleta (season 7) | |
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| Sixth-most popular | Kris Allen (season 8) | |
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| Seventh-most popular | Adam Lambert (season 8) | |
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| Eighth-most popular | Allison Iraheta (season 8) | |
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| Ninth-most popular | Jennifer Hudson (season 3) | |
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| Tenth-most popular | Jordin Sparks (season 6) | |
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| 11th-most popular | Elliott Yamin (season 5) | |
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| 12th-most popular | Danny Gokey (season 8) | |
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