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Accessibility
Effective citizenship must be accessible to everyone. The Electoral Court provides several mechanisms to ensure the participation of all citizens in the Brazilian electoral process.
Some of the mechanisms to guarantee citizens' access to the polling station include priority service for people with disabilities, people with reduced mobility, people over 60, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and people with infants.
Voters with disabilities can request to transfer from their polling station to a special one that better meets their needs, such as one equipped with ramps and/or elevators. This request can be made at the electoral registry up to 151 days before the elections.
Up to 90 days before the election, voters with disabilities who vote at special polling stations can notify the electoral judge about their restrictions and needs. It will allow the Electoral Court to provide the necessary means and resources to facilitate their voting.
Finally, at the time of voting, the voter can still inform the polling station members of his/her limitations, so that the Electoral Court can provide the appropriate solutions at that time.
The voter can also receive assistance from a person of his trust, who, if authorized by the president of the receiving board, can accompany him, entering the voting booth and even typing the numbers in the electronic voting machine.
All electronic voting machines are equipped to assist visually impaired individuals. In addition to using the Braille system and identifying the number five key on the keyboards – which makes it easier to find the other keys – Electoral Courts provide headphones at special polling stations and upon specific request. This allows blind or visually impaired voters to receive audible signals indicating the chosen number.
Before that, they can use the regular alphabet or Braille to sign the voting book or mark the ballots, if applicable.
Voting is optional for illiterate people. Even so, if someone in this condition decides to vote and does not know how to sign, it is possible to use the fingerprint of their right thumb. Illiterate voters also have the right to bring a paper with their candidate's number to make voting easier. The use of instruments that can help a person to vote is permitted, but the Electoral Court is not obliged to provide them.
All electronic voting machines available on election day feature a Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) interpreter on the screen. This tool was implemented by the TSE for the first time in 2022.
The voting simulator, available on the TSE website, serves as a digital version of the electronic voting machine, allowing voters to explore the equipment. To simulate the use of the voting machine, click here.
The simulator provides an educational experience using fictitious candidates and parties to demonstrate the procedures for real voting. Just as in the physical electronic voting machine on election day, the simulator also includes a sign language interpreter.
Additionally, the TSE website offers an accessibility tool with a digital Libras interpreter, enabling individuals to navigate the Court's website independently. This access mechanism can be found in the bottom right-hand corner of the site.
The 2024 municipal elections included the synthesized voice “Letícia” in the electronic voting machine, whose task is to guide voters who are blind or have low vision through a new electoral experience, with a more human and natural touch, improving the understanding of the audio at the time of voting.
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