Brazilians will go to the polls today (Oct. 4) to elect a president, governors, senators, and federal, state and district representatives. Approximately 158.7 million voters are eligible to vote, according to the Electoral Court.

Voters’ choices will determine who holds the offices responsible for decisions that directly affect people’s lives, including in areas such as health, education, public safety, transportation, infrastructure, and the economy.

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Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Brasília time); cell phones remain prohibited in the voting booth.

If a runoff is required for the presidential and gubernatorial races, it will be held on October 25.

Candidates to be elected

This year, voters will cast six votes: for president (and vice president), governor (and vice governor), two senators, a federal representative, and a state representative - or a district representative in the Federal District.

The elections will determine the composition of the federal and state executive branches and renew part of the legislative branch starting January 1, 2027. Representatives serve four-year terms, while senators serve eight-year terms.

Voter profile

The 2026 elections will feature the largest electorate in Brazilian history. Of the total number of eligible voters, 141,321,493 have already registered their biometric data, equivalent to 89.01 percent of the electorate, according to the Electoral Court.

According to the Superior Electoral Court, 605,800 voters are 16 years old and just over 1 million are 17. Voting is optional for both age groups.

Number of candidates

This election is also marked by a large number of candidates. The Electoral Court has registered approximately 21,000 candidates. More than half (11,700) are running for seats in state legislative assemblies.

A total of 7,803 candidates are running for seats in the House of Representatives.

Achievement of democracy

The right to vote has not always been available to all Brazilians. Throughout the country’s history, different groups have been excluded from the electoral process. Women, illiterate people, indigenous peoples, and the poor were, at various times, barred from participating in elections.

More recently, during the military dictatorship (1964–1985), a period marked by institutional disruption, voting and political rights were restricted, candidacies were revoked, and certain offices came to be filled through indirect elections.

Illiterate citizens regained the right to vote in 1985. Their right to vote was enshrined in the 1988 Federal Constitution.

In this context, the Electoral Court is responsible for organizing the electoral process in a way that guarantees the exercise of the right to vote as a pillar of Brazilian democracy.

In institutional material from its “Voto Limpo” (Clean Vote) series, the Superior Electoral Court describes the vote as “the highest expression of citizenship” and emphasizes that it gives citizens the freedom to choose who will govern the country.

Nearly 1 million Brazilians registered to vote abroad are eligible to vote in the 2026 elections. The Superior Electoral Court says 918,876 voters are registered in 134 countries, representing just over 0.5 percent of Brazil’s approximately 158.7 million eligible voters.

Brazilians living abroad vote only for president and vice president.

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The number of Brazilians eligible to vote abroad has grown steadily. From 2010 to 2026, the number increased by 358 percent.

In 2010, there were about 210,000 registered voters abroad, rising to 354,000 in 2014. The number reached 500,000 in 2018 and nearly 700,000 in 2022.

Journalist Victoria Duarte, 30, is among these voters. A master’s student at the University of Niagara Falls, she has lived in Ontario, Canada, since August 2025. This will be her first time participating in a Brazilian election from abroad.

“I wanted to vote, even though I live abroad, because I know how important these elections are for my country’s future. I went through the entire process required to do so,” she told Agência Brasil.

Polling stations

To vote, Duarte and other Brazilian friends will have to travel to Toronto, where the nearest polling station is located.

According to the Brazilian Electoral Court, polling stations will be set up in 186 cities abroad. They will operate primarily at Brazilian consulates and embassies, but may also be located in schools, hotels, and other venues.

Living overseas has strengthened Duarte’s bond with Brazil. “I’ve become more patriotic and proud of my country. Anyone who lives abroad knows this because they have something to compare it with,” she said.

The countries with the largest Brazilian voter populations are the United States (265,400), Portugal (134,700), Japan (88,300), Canada (46,400), and Germany (41,500).

Profile

According to the Electoral Court, women account for 57 percent of registered voters outside Brazil, while men account for 43 percent. In terms of marital status, single voters make up the largest share, at 52 percent of the total. Married voters account for 42 percent, divorced voters for 6 percent, and widowed voters for 1 percent. (Figures do not total 100 percent due to rounding.)

The voter registry also lists 6,614 people with disabilities, representing 0.72 percent of the electorate.

With regard to educational attainment, 38 percent of voters residing abroad have completed higher education, the highest share among the recorded education levels. Those who have completed high school account for 29 percent, while those with some higher education but no degree account for 13 percent.

Voters who have not completed high school account for 10 percent, followed by those who have completed elementary school (5%), those who have not completed elementary school (3%), and those who can only read and write (1%).

As for age groups, voters aged 40 to 44 make up the largest group, followed by those aged 45 to 49 and 35 to 39.

Polarization

Duarte notes that Brazil’s political polarization is also evident among Brazilians living overseas.

“In general, people who come to Canada are better off financially and, as a result, tend to be more conservative. But there are also many young people here who are more progressive and tend to vote for the left,” she explained.

Justification for absence from voting

Voters who are abroad on Election Day and do not cast their ballots may justify their absence at one of the polling stations set up outside Brazil or through the e-Título app.

“There will be no polling stations designated exclusively for voters seeking to justify their absence. In-person voting may take place only at polling stations equipped with electronic voting machines,” the Court stated.

The Free Trade Agreement between Mercosur and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was enacted by Brazil this Friday (Sep. 25).

The bloc of European countries consists of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, which are not members of the European Union. The South American group, meanwhile, includes Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay – Venezuela has been suspended as a member state since 2017.

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According to the Planalto presidential palace, the decree published this Friday completes the process of implementing the treaty in Brazil, establishing “commitments to expand trade and investment flows between the countries of the two blocs.” Legally, it will take effect on October 1, 2026.

The treaty provides for the expansion of trade and investment between the two blocs, with the reduction of technical barriers, as well as sanitary and phytosanitary measures deemed unnecessary for trade.

In addition, it outlines streamlined customs procedures and greater access to government procurement markets.

Commitments

Signed on September 16, 2025, by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the presidential decree also establishes commitments in the areas of intellectual property, sustainable development, environmental protection, biodiversity, and human rights.

“For Brazil, the agreement expands opportunities for Brazilian products to enter the markets of EFTA countries and creates conditions for increased trade and investment flows,” an official statement by the president’s office reads.

The agreement also includes the recognition and protection of geographical indications, a mechanism designed to promote products linked to specific regions of origin.

According to the presidential palace, negotiations between the two blocs were concluded in 2025, following ten rounds that began in 2017.

The text was approved by the National Congress in June this year and ratified by the Brazilian government in July.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva once again defended countries’ sovereignty, specifically citing the situations in Latin America and Brazil, where, he stated, attempts have been made to exert foreign influence over national political processes.

He said that the problems facing Latin America and the Caribbean stem from the region’s proximity to major powers.

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“In Latin America and the Caribbean, geographical proximity to the world’s greatest military power is inescapable, especially in the context of resurgent hegemonic ambitions. Brazil wouldn’t fit in anyone’s backyard,” he said during a speech at the opening ceremony of the 81st UN General Assembly on Tuesday (Sep. 22) in New York.

“We are once again witnessing foreign interference in electoral processes. The division of the world into spheres of influence and neocolonial encroachments on strategic resources are anachronistic acts,” he noted, citing recent events in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Cuba.

The region, he went on to declare, has come a long way toward consolidating democratic regimes following periods of dictatorship and authoritarianism. In this context, he advocated for greater regional integration and respect for the self-determination of peoples.

“We need partners with a positive agenda that fosters development. Ideological differences should not be an obstacle to greater integration among neighbors. The countries of the region have recognized the horrors of authoritarian regimes. We have come a long way toward restoring the will of the people,” he stated.

Democracy under threat

President Lula also warned of what he described as a resurgence of practices incompatible with the contemporary international order. “Democracy is once again under threat,” he said.

When mentioning countries in the Americas, the president stated that each nation must chart its own course. In his view, the Venezuelan people must decide their own fate without external interference, while Nicaragua will not solve its problems by preventing the opposition from participating in elections.

He also mentioned the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and once again criticized the economic embargo imposed on Cuba.

Networks of disinformation

The Brazilian leader also mentioned the influence of disinformation networks during election campaigns and stated that the Brazilian government will be vigilant against possible attempts at interference.

“We do not underestimate the challenge posed by disinformation networks that seek to distort public debate during the campaign,” he declared.

He then emphasized his confidence in the country’s institutions and electoral system. “We will not allow the enemies of democracy, whether internal or external, to undermine the will of the people. Brazil will remain a sovereign nation. No one will divert us from this path,” he declared.

Denialism

Lula also highlighted the dangers of fake news, especially regarding scientific findings on issues such as health and the environment. “In the age of disinformation, obscurantists resist scientific evidence,” he said, while advocating for the fight against denialism.

“We will never forget the millions of lives lost due to the failure to adequately address COVID-19. Anti-vaccine campaigns are bringing back diseases we thought had been eradicated. Weakening the World Health Organization makes everyone more vulnerable.”

“Until recently, the response to climate change was firmly established at the center of the international agenda. This year, the issue has disappeared from the debates at the G7 and G20 – forums that bring together the world’s largest carbon emitters. It is time to go back on the offensive and defeat denialism.”

Public safety

When addressing public safety, Lula rejected the involvement of foreign forces in combating organized crime on national territory and advocated for international cooperation in specific areas, such as combating arms trafficking and money laundering.

“We will not transfer the responsibility for defending our borders and guaranteeing the people the right to live without fear,” he stated.

The president added that the fight against crime must be carried out through cooperation among governments, not through external military actions. “We don’t need aircraft carriers patrolling our waters; we need cooperation to stem the flow of weapons and money that fuels organized crime.”

According to Lula, Brazil has presented the US with a proposal for cooperation to combat money laundering carried out by Brazilian criminals abroad.

The president also stated that Brazil has been strengthening coordination among the states and expanding efforts to combat criminal organizations.