DWTS Voting on the West Coast: When to Vote in 2026

TV & VOTING • SEASON 35 • 2026

Watching DWTS from California? Your voting window starts before your local broadcast. For September 22, that means 5 p.m. Pacific—so set your reminder for voting, not showtime.

A ballroom tango couple performing in a dance competition — Ballroom tango illustration photo—not DWTS footage or the 2026 cast. Henrik Jessen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Uncropped.

YOUR SEPTEMBER 22 VOTING PLAN

West Coast?
Start at five.

5:00 p.m. PDT

That is 8 p.m. Eastern. Set a voting reminder before your evening viewing plans.

September 22 follows ABC’s published Tuesday schedule. Check for changes before the episode.

Last checked September 18, 2026 · Times below are for September 22.

Vote on ABC’s Official Site ↗

Your local time · Voting options · Why voting may be closed

What time should you vote where you live?

The key is to follow the Eastern/Central live broadcast, even if you watch later. Find your city below and use that time for your voting reminder.

September 22, 2026 — equivalents of 8 p.m. Eastern
Location / zone	Start
New York · EDT	8 p.m.
Chicago · CDT	7 p.m.
Denver · MDT	6 p.m.
Los Angeles · PDT	5 p.m.
Phoenix · MST	5 p.m.

Time conversions by Next Up Guide for this date. Phoenix is listed separately because its daylight-saving arrangement differs from Denver’s. These are voting-start equivalents, not local TV listings.

Try this: create two calendar entries—one for voting, one for watching. Label the first “DWTS: check official voting page” and use your city’s time zone. That avoids a reminder tied to the wrong broadcast.

HOW THE WINDOW WORKS

Opens

8 p.m. Eastern
5 p.m. Pacific
September 22 equivalents

Closes

Shortly after the final competitive dance.
No fixed minute stated.

Later viewing

Watching a delayed broadcast or replay does not reopen voting.

Diagram by Next Up Guide, based on ABC’s voting FAQ.

Watching on Disney+? ABC says the stream follows your local ABC station’s broadcast time. Switching viewing apps does not extend the voting window. Set the voting reminder separately from your viewing reminder.

Online or text: which works for you?

Voting online? You’ll need an account with a verified email address. You must be 18 or older and physically in the U.S., its territories, or Canada.
Prefer to text? Eligible U.S. viewers with participating carriers can send the current contestant keyword to 21523. Message and data rates may apply; SMS voting is not available in Canada.

You can cast 10 votes per couple, per method. If you change your online choices, click Save Votes before leaving. Text votes cannot be changed once sent. And you don’t need a Disney+ subscription to vote.

Get your account and verification email sorted before show night. If you’re texting, take the contestant keyword from ABC’s current page—an old screenshot may send you in the wrong direction.

“Voting closed”: what to check first

Check the date. An episode available to watch is not proof that its voting window is open.
Compare your clock. A Los Angeles viewer planning around an 8 p.m. local evening could miss the earlier voting opportunity.
Read the official page’s message. A closed-window notice and an account error need different next steps. If the window has ended, refreshing won’t reopen it.
If access fails during the announced window: follow ABC Help. Include the error message when you ask for help.

Next Up Guide is an independent publication and is not affiliated with ABC, Disney+, or Dancing with the Stars. We do not collect votes.

Where these details come from

Rules and the weekly schedule: ABC’s Season 35 watching and voting FAQ. Voting takes place only at the official voting site or through its eligible SMS process. The date highlighted here follows ABC’s Tuesday schedule, not a separate episode-specific announcement. Recheck this dated guide for later episodes; do not reuse its time conversions for the whole season.