An in-depth look at America's most popular show reveals a seriously flawed voting system

摘要

Dee Law has been a diehard fan of Fox's runaway hit American Idol since it started three seasons ago. But as the show speeds toward its May 26 conclusion with three songbirds left, the 40-year-old Pennsylvania home-maker couldn't care less about the outcome. A Clay Aiken fan, she lost faith in the process after making a shocking discovery last year: No matter how often she tried, she couldn't place her vote. Law says she tried to dial "five or six hundred times" on the final night of competition but hasn't tried since. "I'm not gonna get suckered into voting again," she says. "Why should we sit here and waste two hours of our time when our votes aren't going to be counted?" American Idol, the wildly successful talent show based on the democratic premise that viewers cast ballots for a winner, has a serious voting problem. Interviews with telephone companies, data consultants, federal agencies, and fans expose a flawed system in which tens of millions of votes are potentially lost. Indeed, evidence shows that the only people choosing the next American Idol are the ones lucky enough to get through―or skilled enough to get around―tremendously overtaxed phone lines.