Voting in Brazil

With the second round of the elections coming up on Sunday, I thought it would be a good time to talk a little about voting in Brazil. Also, for those interested, the Americas Society put together an excellent election guide in English to help you understand what's going on with the elections.

In Brazil, voting is mandatory. If a citizen fails to vote, he must present himself at a voting office and pay a small fine (somewhere between R$1 and $4 reais) and "justify" his absence from the polls. If abstaining voters fail to make the trip to a government office and pay the fine, they faces several penalties, including:

-They cannot apply for any public position or function.
-They cannot receive any remuneration or salary from a public post.
-There are restrictions on the types of loan they can obtain from federal or local government sources, or from any credit institution administered totally or partially by the government.
-There are restrictions on their obtaining a passport or identity card.
-There are restrictions on their renewing their teaching licences in public educational institutions or those that are controlled by the government.

Source: Ace Project

The minimum legal age for voting is 16, and you can also vote outside the country (in fact, this year has seen an all-time high of Brazilians voting abroad - over 200,000 voters, up from 86,000 in 2006). Voting is conducted on sophisticated machines; in fact, Brazil was the first country to implement fully electronic elections. The system allows for easier voter identification, secure voting, helps prevent fraud, and creates a much easier tallying procedure. They're not foolproof though, and there is a possibility for vote tampering. The way you vote for a candidate is by pressing that candidate's number, which is assigned by political party. When you vote, the candidate's name and face pops up on the screen.

There's some controversy about mandatory voting. Some people are against it, arguing that they shouldn't have to vote for candidates they don't want, or simply because they don't believe they should be forced to participate. But there are two other options if you aren't happy with the candidates: you can put in a null vote (voto nulo) by inputting a number that doesn't belong to any candidate, and your vote will be counted, but won't count toward any candidates. You can also put in a blank vote (voto em branco) by hitting the "blank" key on the voting machine, and again, your vote will be counted but won't go to any candidates. This way, you can do your duty, but protest the absence of a candidate worth voting for.

For those who aren't die hard party supporters or fans of the candidates, it's easy to become disillusioned, especially in these upcoming elections. In a report earlier this month, the NPR reported that apathy is running high amongst young voters, though those who are active are showing support for Dilma, and prior to this round, for Marina Silva. The Spanish newspaper El Pais chimed in this week and reported that Brazilians are disenchanted with the two main candidates, especially after a very acrimonious campaign with endless bickering and even supposed violence, as well as the lack of diverse platforms and definitive stances on key issues. According to the article, high levels of abstentions and blank and null votes are to be expected.

It's not just the presidential candidates that have voters feeling weary. In the first round of elections, only 35 out of 513 congresspeople were elected with their own votes; the rest won their seats from their party, since voting law allows political parties to pull in candidates based on the few candidates who win the most votes. That means 93 percent of congressmen were not actually elected of their own accord, leaving 38 million Brazilians without direct representation in Congress.

Plus, there's the whole issue of ridiculous candidates. Tiririca, the supposedly illiterate clown from Sao Paulo, was not only elected to Congress, but received an overwhelming number of votes, many more so than "serious" candidates. Despite the last minute success of an anti-corruption law that will bar certain candidates from running, some candidates have already found loopholes. Joaquim Roriz, who was running for reelection as the governor of the Federal District, was barred from running due to his involvement in a massive corruption scandal. So in a classic jeitinho, he put his wife up as a candidate instead, despite the fact that she has no real political experience and has proved very lacking in knowledge and intelligence on the campaign trail, becoming something of a Sarah Palin as the constant butt of a joke for her many blunders.

Finally, there's the issue of the opinion polls. There are around four main surveys, and though they have differed somewhat, the biggest problem was during the first round of voting, when they proved to be very inaccurate, especially in reference to Marina Silva's votes. I think this may be due to a couple of factors, mostly "on the fence" voters who made up their minds at the last minute, but some suspect manipulation of the polls by the ruling party. Despite the descrepancies, it does look like Dilma will win on Sunday by a safe margin to become the next president. And to be honest, I think it ultimately comes down less to platforms and promises and progress than to parties: Lula has led an era of unprecedented prosperity, and like in most countries, voters are likely to vote with their wallets and keep his chosen successor in power.

 So what do you think, Brazilians? How do you feel about these elections?

Comments

[Magno]

Ontem eu fui pagar a multa por não ter votado no primeiro turno. O valor? R$3,51. Fala sério.. É claro, também não votarei no segundo.

[Rmpenguino]

Being a Brazilian born American citizen the mandatory vote seems more representative of the majority than the electoral system set up in the US. In the end the majority makes its voice heard and not some electoral system which isn't very transparent. Also like that Brazil has a consistent voting experience across the country. I've voted in different states and sometimes close counties have different voting methods, some not user friendly at all. Everyone can recall the 2000 election "hanging chad" debacle in Florida. As for voters being disenfranchised, that happens the world over because people don't really want to get involved in politics. Young people especially forget that it takes more than just experience to run and win, you need connections, knowledge of the political system and excellent funding to mobilize voters. If Dilma and Serra aren't your candidates sure you can make a campaign have have millions vote nulo for a certain number and make a point. But far more constructive would be to really energize the base and start campaigning with a candidate for the next election now. Obviously most people just do not care, so they will get the government they deserve.

[Simone]

I see your point Rmpenguino. But I think you are wrong about the last comment. People do care here. Otherwise, we would not have the massive (and increasing) support for Ficha Limpa. As you can see, this kind of involvement is finally paying off. We got Jader out and the movement against corruption is seeking to do even more. So it is not all lost, my dear. Just because you became an American citizen, you should not look down on your fellow Brazilian citizens. I am saying this in a light way. I don't think you are bragging about being an American an all. But you can't dissociate from your origins even if you were just born here.
I think that if YOU care, if you are not the "typical" Brazilian you were pointing before, you should support these campaigns for transparency and change in Brazilian politics in any way you possibly can.
Best regards.

Rachel, by the way, tonight there is a Globo debate for the 'indecisos'. That should be "fun" to watch.

[Black Women]

I love the concept of mandatory voting! The US should take a page from the Brazilians!

[lenibeatriz]

Magno, você disse que o Brasil vai ter o governo que merece. Já pensei assim por várias vezes. Mas será o certo? Como, pessoas com falta de estrutura física, financeira. psicológica e também sem tempo ( muitas porque trabalham e outras porque não se dedicam a obter informação) poderão ter interesse por política; ter algum envolvimento social?
O Brasil precisa de educação, saúde e trabalho e não do Bolsa Família - esmola que o governo distribui para tornar os pobres mais pobres e dependentes do Estado. Na minha opinião essas pessoas, para manterem o Bolsa Familia, elegeram Dilma Rousseff. Os extremos elegeram Dilma: os dependentes do Bolsa Família - bem pobres e sem instrução - , e os empresários ricos acompanhados por muitos servidores públicos. O motivo? Acredito que todos eles, para manter o que conseguiram pois acreditam que um outro governo poderia retirar suas mordomias.

[lenibeatriz]

Dê uma espiadinha nos blogs:

http://golpadademestre.blogspot.com
http://lenibeatriz.blogspor.com

[Paulo R.]

Engraçado os serristas se queixarem de Bolsa Família, quando foi o seu candidato que fez as propostas mais populistas em relação a esse programa. Dobrar o orçamento do Bolsa Família: até parece que o Serra faria mesmo isso aí.