Casey Abrams voting alert: American Idol voting procedure for Tuesday, March 1

On Tuesday, March 1 the top 12 men sing for viewer votes for the first time this season. The 12 male semifinalists will perform Tuesday, March 1 8/7c, and the 12 female semifinalists will perform Wednesday, March 2 8/7c on FOX. Then, tune in to see who America picks to become a finalist on the season’s first LIVE results show Thursday, March 3 8/7c.

At the end of each performance show, the phone lines will open for at least two hours and American Idol viewers will be able to vote for their favorite contestant(s) via the branded toll-free telephone numbers (1-866-IDOLS-01, -02, etc.). AT&T wireless subscribers can use their cell phones to vote by texting the word “VOTE” to the four-digit short code (5701, 5702, etc.) that corresponds with the contestant of their choice. Additionally, fans will be able to cast their votes online right here on AmericanIdol.com.

To vote online during the voting window, fans should visit americanidol.com and follow the directions. Fans will be required to log in using their Facebook account to access the American Idol voting page, which will feature the name and photo of each of the current contestants. To vote, fans will simply choose their favorite contestant, complete the security verification and submit their choice. After each performance show and during the online voting window, fans may cast up to 50 total online votes for that evening's performances. Only fans with a registered Facebook account in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be able to cast their vote(s) online.