(Image courtesy of Creative Commons)

Next week, when the Final Twelve take the stage for the first round of public voting, viewers will be able to vote through more than just the old standbys of phone calls and texting. The show will introduce voting on the Facebook page and direct messaging on Twitter. 

Simon Cowell said this change will also allow viewers who do not live in the United States to vote for their favorites. 

Twitter’s blog explains how to vote via direct message, and reminds that no regular tweets will be counted as votes. 

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