Dear reader,
If you've read our website at any moment over the past year, you are well aware that Brazilians will be going to the polls in October for what could be the most consequential election in decades.
At The Brazilian Report, we've already kept you in the loop about the main candidates, what they are proposing, and all the behind-the-scenes political developments. And our readers will know that Brazil's fully electronic voting system has been at the forefront of the news, amid unsubstantiated claims from the president that the ballot boxes are rigged — making threats about not accepting the final result if he is not victorious.
What we haven't mentioned, however, is the experience of being a voter in Brazil using such an innovative system. So, dear reader, our plan today is to show you all the ins and outs of a typical election day in Brazil.
If you like our content, please don't hesitate to buy us a coffee or become a member, in case you aren't one yet!
Best regards,
The Brazilian Report Staff
A kind reminder
But before we get started, we just wanted to remind you that we’ll be live tomorrow! We’ll be in a special live stream directly from São Paulo, analyzing all the main stories happening in this decisive day for Brazil.
Our staff will be covering what’s happening on the streets, as well as the impact of the election on the markets and on Latin America. We’ll have special analysis from political scientist Claudio Couto, market analyst Mario Sergio Lima and climate policy expert Natalie Unterstell.
So, if you want to be updated on the most important stories during election day, just stay tuned here. You can also add the event to your calendar here and spread the word!
🔴 RECAP:
📆 Sunday (10/02) at 4PM (Brazilian time)
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Voting like a Brazilian
In any democratic country, free and fair elections are the key to making sure a democracy is fully functioning. But organizing them in a nation of over 200 million people the size of a continent is no easy task. That's why election day actually begins months in advance for Brazilian voters. Let us walk you through this journey:
Step one: fulfilling your civil (and legal) duty
Voting is mandatory for all Brazilians aged between 18 and 70 years old, with 16-17 year-olds and the over 70s having the option to vote if they please. If you don't plan on voting, you must justify your absence to the electoral authorities or you can be barred from voting in future elections and lose out on several rights, such as:
Obtaining passports and ID documents
Getting loans from state-owned banks
Taking part in civil-servant selection processes
Enrolling in public universities
No laughing matter, right? But these initiatives are largely well-intentioned, as the country had an awful track record for turnout and electoral fraud in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The idea is to get people to take part in the process, whether they intend to vote or not.
Before each election, Brazilians have to get in touch with the authorities to make sure they are registered to vote, which they can check by handing over their voter ID card or justifying previous absences.
Step two: know your surroundings
When registering to vote, you choose your electoral domicile. Therefore, if you are registered to vote in the city of São Paulo, you don't get a say in state or municipal races in other areas. When you move city or state, you can also change your electoral domicile.
In Brazil, schools and universities are the go-to locations for polling places. The electoral system takes the address you submitted when selecting your electoral domicile and will assign the voting station closest to you. And if you're a voter with a disability or special requirements, this is the time to speak up so that the authorities can assign you a polling place with all of the necessary infrastructure to allow you to vote.
But that's the reality for Brazil's urban centers. In the most far-flung communities in the Amazon, for instance, electoral authorities often visit them by boat, sorting out their documents and making sure they are registered. On the day of the election, the Armed Forces send reporting officers and ballot boxes to these isolated regions and then transport them to the nearest city.
Step three: Go digital
Beyond simply voting at the touch of a button, Brazil's electoral authorities have sought to make the entire process digital. Voters have to register their biometric data (typically a photograph and fingerprints) which can then be used for identification on election day itself.
Step four: Getting ready for the big day
Before heading to polling stations, Brazilians must choose a candidate for each election up for grabs. However, the electronic ballot box only accepts numbers, meaning each candidate has his/her own unique code. As these can sometimes be hard to remember, voters are officially encouraged to bring their own "cheat sheets."
In 2022, Brazilians will elect a president, members of Congress, a state governor, and state lawmakers all in one go. So, the idea of the cheat sheet is to write down all of the numbers of your chosen candidates, which you can then use in the voting booth to make sure you've picked the right names.
However, Brazilians are notorious for leaving important things to the last minute. As a result, polling places feature extensive lists of all of the candidates competing, so you can fill out your cheat sheet before you enter the booth.
With so many candidates to select, lower-ballot competitors try to take advantage of indecision with last minute guerrilla campaigning. On Election Day, the streets around polling places are always littered with small leaflets featuring the face, name, and — most importantly — number of candidates for state lawmaker or city councilor. This is actually illegal, according to Brazilian law, but remains a common practice.
Step five: Preparations on the way
To ensure people can exercise their voting rights to their fullest, Brazilian elections always take place on Sundays, usually in the months of October and November. Election Day itself is a holiday, but it's not one for partying. Several states enforce alcohol bans from Saturday through to Sunday night.
Also, the police cannot arrest people five days before the election and 48 hours after it, unless they are caught in flagrante or if a judge issues a ruling connected to a crime without bail.
Step six: It's showtime!
So, after getting their documents and cheat sheets ready, Brazilians are good to go. Polling stations open at 8 am and close at 5 pm, according to Brasília time. You can vote at any time during the day.
The whole process is watched over by poll workers, who are either official civil servants or volunteers. Although schools are decked out with all of the necessary signage and equipment beforehand, they are always there to happen should anything happen. And, of course, the police and the Army are on duty to avoid security breaches.
Inside the schools, classrooms are dedicated to different "electoral sections," which are numbered.
As there is a limited number of people per voting booth and their data is always in alphabetical order, it is quite rare to face huge lines. You must, however, wait outside the classroom while the workers check citizens' data — and only one person can enter the classroom at a time.
Once you give them your documents, you sign the register, receive an electoral receipt and are shown to the voting booth. All of this can also be done automatically via the electoral authorities' E-Título app. The poll worker simply needs to scan your unique QR code and all of your data is confirmed in an instant.
Note, however, that this is the only moment when smartphones are permitted inside polling places. If you ever give into the temptation of taking an election selfie, you risk ending up in jail for voter fraud.
Step seven: doing the deed
Once you are face to face with the ballot, you simply press the number of your candidates, as guided on screen. Once you've input a number, the machine will show the candidate's name, party affiliation, and photograph. If everything is in order, voters press the green Confirm button to compute their vote. You can also choose to spoil your ballot at this point by pressing the white or orange buttons. Once complete, the ballot box lets out its trademark ring and the job is done.
The whole process lasts no more than a minute, even with so many candidates to choose — that is, if you have your cheat sheet, or a good memory!
Want to see how the electronic voting machine works for yourself? Check out this video:
Step eight: Results time
Since schools are the most common polling places, there is something of a community vibe to the voting process. If you vote in your hometown, you might run into your old school friends or teachers, for example.
And, with Brazil's natural gift for sales, polling places are always ideal real estate for street vendors, who will set up their stalls outside the schools selling cotton candy, popcorn, hot dogs, and all kinds of food and drink. It's no surprise, then, that kids are often keen to tag along with their parents on Election Day.
Perhaps the most astounding part of Brazil's electronic voting system is the results. Despite being such a huge nation in size and population, a large share of the final result is announced at 7 pm, just two hours after polls close. By 10 pm, the outcome is already well and truly sewn up.
BONUS: The view of our own international observers
For a foreigner's take on Brazil's voting system, we reached out to our editor Euan Marshall. Born in Glasgow, Euan voted in Scotland before arriving in Brazil and shared his view about the similarities and differences between voting in both countries: