Voting 101

We know two things about tonight's American Idol performance.

1) When Michael Sarver performs tonight, he is going to have some tough competition. Gokey the Golden Boy has made a way into Idol hearts across the country, and Anoop isn't without his fans (called the Anoop Troops). Only one male is guaranteed to advance from tonight's round. (but two will probably get the go ahead)

2) It wouldn't matter if Michael were competing against Aretha Franklin, because what's going to get him there is votes, not who he is singing next to.

So for those of you who have never voted for Idol before, here are some tips to help you

• Each contestant is assigned a number that coincides with when he or she sings. The first singer will be number one, the second is number two, and so on. That number will flash at the bottom of the screen while Michael is performing. It has always been 1-866-IDOLSXX (the XX would be where you put the contestants number, like 01 through 12). But please check the numbers during the show, because now that we've put it in writing, something will change for the first time in eight years. The IDOLS translates to 1-866-43657-XX.


• Voting is generally only open for two hours after the show. And we need to warn you - you're going to get a lot of busy signals in that first hour. But don't give up! It's all about the redial. And we know from previous experience that you can get through even after getting busy signals for what seems like hours.


• Calls are toll free and cost NOTHING. So you have no excuse.


• When you finally get through, you will get a message that says "Thank you for voting for contestant number X," or something very similar. Double check and make sure that number matches up with your contestant. What are we saying? Make sure it matches up with MICHAEL! (Don't let us find out you've been accidentally voting for Tatiana)
  


• Text messaging votes is open to AT&T users only. But if you have one, don't be afraid to use it. They'll give you a 4 or 5 digit number at the end of the show. Send the word "VOTE" to that number. But be careful - standard text messaging rates do apply.


• This isn't like voting for president. There's no limit. The lines will stay open until 9 p.m. c/s time, so feel free to keep voting through the entire time. In fact, we encourage it.


• You can vote for multiple contestants if you'd like.