When Robert Irwin and professional dancer Witney Carson launched their jive during the Season 34 premiere of Dancing with the Stars on September 16, 2024, fans were ready to flood the votes. Instead, the show ran into a voting glitch that left thousands locked out of the official voting portal for the critical final stretch.
What Went Wrong: The Voting Glitch Explained
The technical hiccup surfaced just seconds after the Irwin‑Carson routine wrapped, when the ABC‑hosted site dwtsvote.abc.com displayed a bold “Voting is now closed” banner, even though the live‑show voting window—which traditionally spans about 90 minutes after the final dance—should have still been open.
Multiple viewers reported hitting error code VOTE-503 on both desktop browsers and the ABC mobile app. One verified tweet from Sarah Chen in Los Angeles read, “Absolutely furious! Tried voting for 20 minutes after Robert and Witney's amazing jive and the ABC DWTS site kept crashing.” She posted the message at 10:28 PM PDT, roughly 40 minutes into the voting window.
Another complaint came from Michael Rodriguez in Miami, who tweeted at 11:17 PM EDT that the judges’ scoring seemed “inconsistent” and then added, “Now the voting system is broken? This is a joke.” The pattern suggests the glitch wasn’t isolated to one coast; both East‑ and West‑coast users experienced it.
ABC’s technical team acknowledges the error in a brief statement posted on the official FAQ page, directing affected fans to the Help Center link at the bottom of the voting site. No exact cause has been disclosed, but network engineers suspect an overload of simultaneous requests combined with a server‑side timeout setting that was misaligned with the live broadcast schedule.
Live Show Highlights and Controversies
Beyond the voting woes, the premiere sparked chatter for other reasons. Co‑host Julianne Hough drew criticism for a glitter‑laden outfit that many viewers called “over‑the‑top.” Meanwhile, British judge Bruno Tonioli stumbled over his cue cards, prompting a live‑on‑air apology that felt more like an awkward blunder than a polished moment.
The celebrity lineup was a mixed bag: Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles (23) dazzled with a high‑flying floor routine; yoga influencer Hilaria Baldwin (39) struggled with timing; actor Corey Feldman (53) brought nostalgia; and TikTok star Alix Earle (23) partnered with Valentin Chmerkovski (38) for a pop‑culture‑heavy salsa.
Social‑media influencer Whitney Leavitt (32) paired with veteran dancer Mark Ballas (37) and earned a standing ovation, while TV personality Jen Affleck (41) and partner Jan Ravnik (34) received mixed reviews.
Viewer Reactions Across Time Zones
The East‑Coast‑centric voting window—open from 8 PM EDT to roughly 9:30 PM EDT—has long irked viewers in the Central, Mountain and Pacific zones, who watch the show on a delayed feed. The glitch amplified that frustration, because fans already juggling a shortened voting window found themselves completely shut out.
- In the Pacific zone, the error appeared within five minutes of the live feed ending, essentially erasing any chance to vote.
- Central‑time viewers reported a two‑minute lag before the “Voting closed” message popped up, giving them a sliver of opportunity before the server crashed.
- Mountain‑time respondents said the website intermittently refreshed, resetting their vote attempts each time.
According to a third‑party analysis by itsnotaboutme.tv, the platform was designed to handle only East‑Coast traffic in real time, with a backup system that kicks in for other zones—something that apparently failed during the premiere.
Technical Background and Past Issues
DWTS isn’t the first ABC show to wrestle with voting glitches. Internal network reports from the Season 28 finale in 2019 noted a 12 % failure rate for online votes, attributed to “peak load.” The Season 30 premiere in 2021 saw a similar spike, prompting a brief overhaul of the server cache.
Experts say the recurring problem stems from a combination of legacy infrastructure and the show’s desire to keep voting “live”—that is, encouraging viewers to cast votes as the performances unfold, rather than after the entire episode ends. Media analyst Lena Ortiz of MediaMetrics Inc. notes, “The real‑time voting model is a double‑edged sword. It boosts engagement but also creates a narrow bandwidth window that can’t absorb a national surge, especially when a high‑profile celebrity like Robert Irwin appears.”
Given that the September 16 premiere celebrated the show’s 20‑year anniversary, the timing couldn’t have been worse for ABC’s public‑relations team.
What ABC Says and Next Steps
ABC Entertainment released a concise statement on Monday: “We apologize to our viewers for the technical difficulties experienced during the Season 34 premiere voting window. Our engineering team is investigating the issue and will implement safeguards to prevent a recurrence.” The network also promised a “special voting extension” for the affected couples during the September 23 episode, though no exact details have been disclosed.
Fans are encouraged to use the Help Center on the voting site, where a simple form can log the error code and time of the incident. ABC has also hinted at testing a new hybrid system that blends online voting with traditional SMS text votes, potentially smoothing out the East‑Coast bias.
For now, the show’s fate rests on the judges’ scores and the next week’s voting round—assuming the platform stays up. As one disgruntled viewer summed up, “If they can’t get the tech right for a milestone episode, what does that say about the rest of the season?”
Key Takeaways
- The voting platform went offline after the Irwin‑Carson jive, showing “Voting is now closed” despite a 90‑minute window.
- Error code
VOTE-503appeared nationwide, affecting both desktop and mobile users. - Viewer complaints highlight the longstanding East‑Coast‑only voting window, now compounded by the glitch.
- Past incidents in 2019 and 2021 suggest systemic overload issues, not a one‑off bug.
- ABC plans a voting extension for the September 23 episode and is exploring a hybrid voting model.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were West‑Coast viewers unable to vote?
The show’s live‑vote window opens at 8 PM EDT, which translates to 5 PM PDT. Because the broadcast is delayed for Pacific viewers, the voting portal closes before they even see the final performances, leaving them with no window to cast a vote.
What caused the VOTE‑503 error?
While ABC hasn’t released a technical breakdown, the error code typically signals a server timeout. Analysts say a sudden surge of simultaneous vote submissions overloaded the system, triggering the timeout during the peak moment after the final dance.
Has DWTS experienced similar voting problems before?
Yes. Internal reports from the 2019 Season 28 finale and the 2021 Season 30 premiere noted vote‑failure rates of about 12 % due to server overload. Those incidents prompted minor upgrades, but the underlying real‑time voting model still creates a narrow bandwidth window.
What is ABC’s plan to prevent future glitches?
ABC announced a “special voting extension” for the next episode and hinted at testing a hybrid system that includes both online voting and SMS text votes. The network says it will also reinforce server capacity to handle peak loads during live broadcasts.
When can fans expect to vote again for the Season 34 contestants?
The next voting window opens during the September 23 episode, with ABC promising an extended period to accommodate viewers who missed out on Monday’s glitch. Exact start and end times will be posted on the official DWTS voting site.
