General

Over 330 thousand Brazilians to vote out of home polling place

Most in-transit electors should cast a ballot in São Paulo state

Karine Melo

Published on 01/10/2022 - 14:55

Brasília

Eleitores votam no segundo turno das eleições para prefeito na Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental Celso Leite Ribeiro Filho, na Bela Vista. — © Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil

More than 330 thousand Brazilians who will be out of their home polling area this Sunday (Oct 2) filed a request with the electoral courts to cast the so-called transit vote. For the second round—which may or may not happen—an application was submitted by 314,804 electors. Compared to the 2018 general elections, petitions for transit voting are said to have increased 278 percent in the first round—87,979 applications—and 277 percent in the second round—83,494.

For the general public, the deadline for applying for, changing, or canceling one’s permit for voting outside of one’s original polling location in this year’s elections was August 18. For the military, municipal guards, traffic agents, and professionals called for logistical support, among others, the term ended on August 26.

São Paulo state is the destination of the largest number of in-transit electors in the first round: 82,393. Of these, 38,030 São Paulo residents plan to go to the polls outside their home area, but still in the state—which boasts the nation’s largest electorate. On the other hand, 44,363 applicants from other states filed for permission to vote in São Paulo. In 2018, São Paulo also saw the highest amount of citizens casting a transit ballot in the first round of the election: 17,773.

The second largest movement in the first round is likely to be observed in Rio de Janeiro, where 30,916 electors requested to vote outside their home location. Of these, 14,054 residents of the state will cast a transit ballot within their own state, with 16,862 doing so in other states. In 2018, the second largest movement of citizens to vote in transit in the first round occurred in Minas Gerais—a total 10,163.

Voting overseas

Under Brazilian law, transit voting is not available to citizens abroad.

However, if a Brazilian’s voter’s card was registered in another country and they are in Brazil, this year they are entitled to cast a transit ballot—for president only. In all, 1,719 Brazilians in these conditions have asked formal permission to vote in transit in the first stage of the election, compared to 1,496 for the second round.