Election Process in Brazil

The electoral process in Brazil, in a broader sense, concerns the organizational phases of elections, also comprising a brief period thereafter. It is organized by the Electoral Court (EC), at the municipal, state, and federal level. At the federal level, the EC has the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), headquartered in Brasília, as its highest body. In each state of the Federation and in the Federal District there is a Regional Electoral Court (TRE), as well as judges and electoral boards.

The Electoral Court organizes, supervises, and conducts elections by regulating the electoral process, examining the accounts of parties and candidates in campaigns, monitoring compliance with relevant legislation during electoral periods and judging processes related to elections.

Although the stages of voting, counting and dissemination of results are the best known, the electoral process has other very important stages such as voter registration, the candidacy stage, financial reporting, and electoral logistics. There is also the post-election phase, which includes, among other activities, the inauguration of elected officials.

Throughout the electoral process, there are mechanisms to ensure the normality of elections, voting security, and democratic freedom. By these criteria, Brazil has become a world reference in elections.

Among these criteria, the use of the Brazilian electronic ballot box stands out, which has allowed, since 2000, elections to be fully computerized.

In 2008, the biometric system for voter identification began to be adopted in some locations and, since then, the Electoral Court has been gradually providing for the biometric registration of the entire Brazilian electorate. Until July 2020, more than 119 million voters had their fingerprints registered through this system, representing another great step forward in guaranteeing the security of voting in Brazil.