American Idol outrage: your vote doesn't count: an in-depth look at America's most popular show reveals a seriously flawed voting system.(B&G Investigation)

Broadcasting & Cable, May, 2004 by Seibel, Deborah Starr

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 homemaker 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...

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