History of Voting

Colonial Brazil

1500–1822

During the colonial period, Brazil was a territory of Portugal and the central administration did not depend on votes: it was appointed by the Crown. Settlement began with the hereditary captaincies, created from 1534 on, when King João III divided the coast into strips granted to donees through letters of grant and charters. The donee received the titles of captain and governor and broad powers: founding towns, appointing officials and administering justice in the king's name. Since most captaincies failed, the Crown centralized part of the power by creating the General Government in 1548-1549; Salvador became the capital and Tomé de Sousa was the first governor-general. Governors-general (later viceroys) and captains-major were appointed by the king of Portugal, never elected.

The elections that did exist in the period were local, to fill the Municipal Chambers, which ran the affairs of the town: collecting local taxes, public works, fairs and markets, and first-instance justice. The first election took place in 1532, in the Town of São Vicente (on today's São Paulo coast), organized by Martim Afonso de Sousa, an event cited by government sources as the first election in the Americas. The town was founded in January 1532 and the Brazilian Senate dates the vote for the chamber posts to August of the same year.

The method was the indirect vote by pelouros, governed by the Ordinances of the Kingdom, above all the Philippine Ordinances of 1603 (Title LXVII). First-degree voters chose six "good men"; these, meeting together, drew up the lists of names for the posts (ordinary judge, councillors and attorney). The names were written down and kept inside wax balls (the pelouros) locked in a chest with three locks, and each year a child drew who would sit on the chamber. There were no parties, the vote was not secret in today's sense, and royal officials were barred from the voting place so as not to intimidate the voters.

The right to vote and to be elected was limited to the "good men": free, Catholic, property-owning men of "good lineage", usually owners of land and sugar mills. Women, enslaved people, Indigenous people, the poor, manual tradesmen and New Christians were left out. A notable point is that illiterate free men could vote in this phase: the requirement to read would only come much later. This vote limited to the municipality lasted until 1821, when for the first time the colonists elected representatives beyond the town (deputies to the Cortes of Lisbon), on the eve of independence in 1822, which ends the colonial period.

Who could vote: Only the "good men": free, Catholic, property-owning men of high social standing (owners of land and sugar mills), excluding women, enslaved people, Indigenous people, the poor, manual workers and New Christians.

• 1500The Portuguese reach the coast; the colonial presence begins, still without a fixed administrative structure.
• 1532Founding of the Town of São Vicente and first election for the Municipal Chamber, organized by Martim Afonso de Sousa, cited as the first election in the Americas.
• 1534King João III creates the hereditary captaincies: the coast is divided into strips granted to donees through letters of grant and charters.
• 1548-1549The General Government is created and Tomé de Sousa, the first governor-general, arrives; Salvador becomes the capital, centralizing the administration.
• 1603Philippine Ordinances: they consolidate the system of municipal election by pelouros (Title LXVII), with an indirect vote by the 'good men'.
• 1763The capital moves from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, seat of the viceroyalty of the State of Brazil.
• 1821First election beyond the municipality: colonists elect deputies to represent them before the Cortes of Lisbon.
• 1822Independence of Brazil, ending the colonial period and Portuguese rule.

Empire

1822–1889

The Empire began with independence (September 7, 1822) and its supreme law was the Constitution of 1824, granted by Emperor Pedro I on March 25, 1824. It created four powers: Executive, Legislative, Judicial and the Moderating Power, held by the Emperor himself, who stood above the others and had the final word in national politics. The administration was centralized: each province had a provincial president freely appointed and dismissed by the Emperor, and the government was run by a cabinet of ministers. At the local level, the municipal chambers (governed by the law of October 1, 1828) and the justices of the peace were elected, and the chamber was chaired by the councillor with the most votes; from the Additional Act of 1834 on, the provinces had elected provincial legislative assemblies.

The vote was based on income (census suffrage) and open (not secret). For almost the whole period, the election was indirect and in two stages: in the parish assemblies, the "votantes" (free, Catholic men, usually over 25 and with a minimum annual income of 100,000 réis) chose the provincial "electors"; these, with a minimum income of 200,000 réis, were the ones who elected the deputies and senators of the General Assembly. An income above 400,000 réis was also required to be a deputy and above 800,000 réis to be a senator: a lifetime post, chosen by the Emperor from a list of the three most voted. Despite the restrictions, the income requirement was low for the time and allowed a large share of poor free men and freedmen to vote in the first stage, forming a broad electorate by nineteenth-century standards (estimated at about 10% of the population).

The big turning point came with the Saraiva Law (Decree No. 3,029, of January 9, 1881), proposed by the cabinet of José Antônio Saraiva. It ended the two-stage indirect vote and established the direct vote, created the voter registration card and required stricter proof of the minimum income. At the same time, it took the right to vote away from illiterate people, in a country where more than 80% of the population could not read or write. The result was a drastic drop in participation: the electorate fell from about 10% to between 0.8% and 1.5% of the population, a level Brazil would only surpass again in 1945. Women and enslaved people remained excluded throughout the period. The Empire ended with the Proclamation of the Republic, on November 15, 1889.

Who could vote: Only free, Catholic men voted, usually over 25 (21 in some cases, such as married men and military officers) and with a minimum annual income (100,000 réis in the first stage); women and enslaved people never voted, the poorest were left out by the income rule, and illiterate people were excluded from the Saraiva Law of 1881 on.

• 1822Independence of Brazil (September 7); the Empire begins.
• 1824Constitution granted on March 25: it establishes the Moderating Power, income-based suffrage and indirect elections in two stages (votantes and electors).
• 1828The Law of October 1 organizes the municipal chambers, with elected councillors.
• 1834The Additional Act creates the elected provincial legislative assemblies.
• 1842Voting by proxy is banned, a measure against fraud.
• 1855Law of the Circles: it introduces single-member electoral districts (district voting).
• 1881Saraiva Law (Decree No. 3,029, of January 9): it establishes the direct vote and the voter registration card, excludes illiterate people and drastically shrinks the electorate (from ~10% to about 1% of the population).
• 1889Proclamation of the Republic (November 15); end of the Empire.

First Republic

1889–1930

The First Republic (or Old Republic) began with the Proclamation of the Republic, on November 15, 1889, and was organized by the Constitution of February 24, 1891, which set up a federal, presidential republic. The president and vice president were now chosen by direct vote, by majority, for a four-year term, with no immediate reelection. As a transition rule, the first president and the first vice president (Deodoro da Fonseca and Floriano Peixoto) were elected indirectly by the Constituent Congress, on February 25, 1891; the first direct presidential election took place on March 1, 1894, won by Prudente de Morais, the first civilian to govern the country. The states gained broad autonomy and were run by state presidents (governors), also elected.

The right to vote was restricted. The Constitution of 1891 ended income-based suffrage, but kept the vote only for literate men over 21. Left out were women (whom the Constitution did not even mention), illiterate people (then the majority of the population), beggars, enlisted soldiers (low-ranking military) and members of religious orders bound by a vow of obedience. In practice, the electorate stayed at around 1% to 6% of the population, and abstention was high: in the 1894 election, about 2% of Brazilians voted.

The vote was open, not secret, which made it possible to identify and pressure each voter. In the countryside, power revolved around the "colonels", large rural landowners who controlled the so-called electoral corrals and imposed the "halter vote" (the dependent voter voted as the colonel instructed). Counts were done by local boards, and the minutes were often forged by the polling officials: this is the so-called "pen-point election". At the federal level, the Commission for the Verification of Powers recognized (or not) those elected, and used the "beheading" to block opposition candidates, denying them their certificates.

This arrangement sustained the "politics of the governors", set up from the Campos Sales government (1898-1902) on: the federal government backed the state oligarchies and, in return, got loyal blocs in Congress, an expression of the so-called "coffee with milk politics", with São Paulo and Minas Gerais taking turns at the center of power. The system was ended by the Rupture of 1930. In 1932, the Electoral Code (Decree No. 21,076) created the Electoral Court, established the secret ballot and extended the right to vote to women.

Who could vote: Only literate men over 21, in a direct and open vote; excluded were women, illiterate people (the majority of the population), beggars, enlisted soldiers (low-ranking military) and members of religious orders under a vow of obedience: an electorate of about 1% to 6% of the population.

• 1889The Proclamation of the Republic (November 15) ends the Empire and begins the First Republic.
• 1890Decree No. 200-A (Feb. 8) and the Alvim Regulation (Decree No. 511, of June 23) organize voter registration and the election of the Constituent Congress, the first republican electoral rules.
• 1891The Constitution of February 24 establishes the presidential, federal republic; it ends income-based suffrage and sets the direct vote for literate men over 21. Deodoro da Fonseca and Floriano Peixoto are elected indirectly by Congress (Feb. 25).
• 1894First presidential election by direct vote (March 1): Prudente de Morais, the first civilian president, wins; about 2% of the population voted.
• 1898Campos Sales takes office as president and consolidates the 'politics of the governors', the basis of the 'coffee with milk politics'.
• 1904The Rosa e Silva Law (Law No. 1,269, of Nov. 15) reforms the electoral process and hands the qualification of voters to the Judiciary.
• 1916Law No. 3,139 (August 2): the last major electoral reform of the First Republic, it reorganizes voter registration.
• 1930The Rupture of 1930 ends the First Republic and the rule of the oligarchies; the Commission for the Verification of Powers is abolished.
• 1932The Electoral Code (Decree No. 21,076, of Feb. 24) creates the Electoral Court, establishes the secret ballot and extends the vote to women.

The Rupture of 1930 and the Vargas Era

1930–1945

The Rupture of 1930 ended the Old Republic and brought Getúlio Vargas to power at the head of a Provisional Government. He began to govern by decree: he dissolved the National Congress, the state assemblies and the municipal chambers and appointed federal interventors to run the states, who in turn appointed the mayors. At first there were no elections.

On February 24, 1932, Decree No. 21,076 established the country's first Electoral Code. It created the Electoral Court, with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) (set up in May 1932, in Rio de Janeiro, then the capital), regional courts and electoral judges, responsible for voter registration, voting and counting. The Code introduced the secret ballot, proportional representation and women's suffrage: anyone over 21 "without distinction of sex" became a voter. The first election run by the Electoral Court took place on May 3, 1933, for the National Constituent Assembly, when women voted and ran for office for the first time: Carlota Pereira de Queiroz was Brazil's first woman federal deputy.

The Constitution of 1934, promulgated on July 16, kept the secret ballot and women's suffrage, lowered the minimum age to 18 and kept illiterate people out of the electorate. The same Constituent Assembly elected Vargas president indirectly, on July 17, 1934, for a term until 1938. Voting was compulsory for men and optional for women.

On November 10, 1937, Vargas carried out the Estado Novo coup: he called off the presidential election planned for 1938, shut down the National Congress and granted the Constitution of 1937 (nicknamed "the Polish one"), which abolished the Electoral Court and the political parties. Between 1937 and 1945 there were no elections for any office; the country was governed by Vargas and by interventors in the states, who appointed the mayors. The Electoral Court would only be reinstated in 1945, with the end of the Estado Novo.

Who could vote: Literate men and women, over 21 under the Code of 1932 and over 18 from the Constitution of 1934 on; illiterate people and enlisted soldiers were left out, and voting was compulsory for men and optional for women, until the Estado Novo suspended all elections in 1937.

• 1930Rupture of 1930: on November 3 Vargas becomes head of the Provisional Government; he dissolves Congress, the assemblies and the chambers and appoints interventors for the states.
• 1932The Electoral Code (Decree No. 21,076, of February 24) creates the Electoral Court and the TSE (set up in May, in Rio), and establishes the secret ballot, proportional representation and women's suffrage.
• 1933First election run by the Electoral Court, on May 3, for the National Constituent Assembly; women vote for the first time and Carlota Pereira de Queiroz is elected the first woman federal deputy.
• 1934The Constitution of 1934 (July 16) enshrines the secret ballot and women's suffrage and sets the minimum age at 18; on July 17 the Constituent Assembly elects Vargas president indirectly, for a term until 1938.
• 1937Estado Novo coup (November 10): Vargas calls off the 1938 election, shuts down Congress and grants the "Polish" Constitution, which abolishes the Electoral Court and the parties: the end of elections.
• 1945With the end of the Estado Novo, the Electoral Court is reinstated by the Electoral Code of 1945 and elections resume.

The 1945 Return to Democracy and the Republic of 1946

1945–1964

With the end of World War II, pressure grew for a return to democracy and an end to the Estado Novo, the Getúlio Vargas dictatorship begun in 1937. On May 28, 1945, Decree-Law No. 7,586 (the Agamenon Magalhães Law) restored the Electoral Court, abolished since 1937, recreated the Superior Electoral Court, allowed national parties to organize and set elections for December 2, 1945. Vargas was deposed by the military on October 29, 1945, and the chief justice of the Supreme Federal Court, José Linhares, took over on an interim basis. In the December election, General Eurico Gaspar Dutra (PSD), backed by Vargas and the PTB, was elected president with about 55% of the vote, defeating Brigadier Eduardo Gomes (UDN). The deputies and senators elected in the same vote formed the National Constituent Assembly, which convened in February 1946 and promulgated the new Constitution on September 18, 1946.

One feature of the Agamenon Magalhães Law marked that election: it allowed multiple candidacies, so the same person could run for president, senator or federal deputy in one or more states at the same time. Taking advantage of this, Getúlio Vargas ran for senator and for federal deputy in several states at once (among them Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Distrito Federal, Paraná, Minas Gerais and Bahia), was elected in many of them and had to choose a single seat, that of senator for Rio Grande do Sul.

The Constitution of 1946 restored the democratic rule of law, with a presidential and representative system, separation of the three branches and direct elections. The President of the Republic was elected by direct vote for a five-year term, with no right to reelection, a rule that also applied to governors. States and municipalities gained broad autonomy: the states elected governors and legislative assemblies, and the municipalities began to elect mayors and city councillors. There were, however, exceptions to the election of mayors: those of the state capitals and of municipalities declared to be of national security interest (military bases or ports) continued to be appointed by the governors.

The period consolidated a multiparty system organized around three large parties. The PSD (Social Democratic Party), founded in 1945, brought together former interventors of the Estado Novo, state oligarchies and the administrative machine inherited from the first Vargas government. The UDN (National Democratic Union), created in April 1945, was born as an opposition front against the Estado Novo and Vargas, with a strong presence of the urban middle class. The PTB (Brazilian Labor Party), founded by Vargas in May 1945, was based among urban workers and the unions. There were also smaller parties, such as Ademar de Barros's PSP, the PR, the PL, the PDC and the PCB (Communist Party of Brazil), which elected Luís Carlos Prestes senator in 1945; the PCB's registration was canceled by the TSE in 1947 and the mandates of its legislators were revoked in 1948.

Registration and voting were compulsory, secret and universal for literate citizens over 18, men and women. Women's suffrage, won in the Electoral Code of 1932 (then optional), was consolidated: in 1946 it became compulsory for literate women, on the same terms as men. Illiterate people, however, remained excluded (they could not register), as did low-ranking enlisted soldiers and those deprived of political rights. Executive posts and the Senate were decided by the majority system; deputies and city councillors, by the proportional system, based on the electoral quotient. Until 1955, each party printed and handed out its own ballots; Law No. 2,582, of August 30, 1955, created the single ballot produced by the Electoral Court, a measure that reduced fraud and standardized voting. The democratic period saw the presidencies of Dutra, the return of Vargas (elected in 1950), Café Filho, Juscelino Kubitschek, Jânio Quadros and João Goulart, went through the parliamentary interlude of 1961-1963, and was ended by the civil-military rupture of March 31, 1964.

A feature of the period: the vice president (and also the vice governor) was elected SEPARATELY from the head of the ticket. The voter cast two independent votes, one for the office and another for the vice, and could cross party lines. The best-known case is the "Jan-Jan" of 1960: Jânio Quadros won the presidency for the opposition UDN, while João Goulart, known as Jango, of the rival PTB, was elected his vice president: Jânio with about 5.6 million votes and Jango with 4.5 million. "Jan-Jan" committees asked for both names at the ballot box: the voters who adopted this practice chose Jânio Quadros's anti-corruption and clean-government message for the presidency, while trusting João Goulart's labor and social-rights agenda for the vice presidency. The joint vote (a linked ticket) would only come later.

Who could vote: Literate Brazilians over 18 (men and women) voted, compulsorily and in secret, while illiterate people remained barred from registering, as did low-ranking enlisted soldiers and those deprived of political rights.

• 1945Decree-Law No. 7,586 (the Agamenon Magalhães Law), of May 28, restores the Electoral Court and the TSE, authorizes national parties and sets the election for December 2.
• 1945End of the Estado Novo: Getúlio Vargas is deposed by the military on October 29; José Linhares takes over on an interim basis.
• 1945On December 2, Eurico Gaspar Dutra (PSD) is elected president with about 55% of the vote; the Constituent Assembly is also elected, with the PCB making Prestes a senator.
• 1946On September 18 the Constitution of 1946 is promulgated, restoring the democratic rule of law, the presidential system and direct elections.
• 1947The TSE cancels the registration of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCB).
• 1948The mandates of the legislators elected for the PCB are revoked, including that of Senator Luís Carlos Prestes.
• 1950Getúlio Vargas returns to power by the vote, elected president (sworn in in 1951).
• 1955Law No. 2,582, of August 30, creates the single ballot; Juscelino Kubitschek is elected president.
• 1960Jânio Quadros, backed by the UDN, wins the presidential election, the first defeat of the Vargas bloc in the federal Executive.
• 1961Jânio Quadros resigns on August 25; João Goulart takes office under a parliamentary system adopted in a rush.
• 1963The plebiscite of January 6 restores the presidential system and returns full powers to João Goulart.
• 1964The civil-military rupture of March 31 ends the democratic period of 1946.

Military Regime

1964–1985

The military regime began with the civil-military rupture of April 1, 1964 and governed through the Institutional Acts (AIs), decrees that concentrated power in the Executive and stood above the Constitution. AI-1 (April 9, 1964) made the presidential election indirect, and Congress chose Marshal Castelo Branco. In response to the government's defeats in the state elections of October 1965, AI-2 (October 27, 1965) abolished all existing parties and kept the presidential election in the hands of Congress. Shortly after, AI-3 (February 1966) extended indirect elections to governors, who were now chosen by the Legislative Assemblies.

The abolition of the parties gave rise to the two-party system: Complementary Act No. 4, of November 20, 1965, required a minimum number of legislators to found a party and, in practice, allowed only two, ARENA (National Renewal Alliance), the government's base, and the MDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement), the tolerated opposition. To strengthen ARENA, the sublegenda was created, under which a party could field up to three candidates for the same majority office and add up their votes. So ARENA's total often exceeded a single MDB candidate with more votes. Throughout the period, mandates were revoked and opponents' political rights were suspended, and AI-5 (December 13, 1968) marked the peak of the crackdown, shutting down Congress and widening repression.

In practice, the president, the governors and the mayors of state capitals and "national security areas" were not elected by popular vote: the presidents came out of an electoral college (Castelo Branco, Costa e Silva, Médici, Geisel and Figueiredo), the governors out of the Assemblies, and those mayors were appointed. People kept voting directly for federal and state deputies, city councillors, mayors outside the capitals and most senators. In 1976 the Falcão Law restricted election advertising, and the April Package (April 13, 1977), imposed with Congress shut down, created the "bionic senators" (a third of the Senate elected indirectly) and stretched the presidential term to six years.

The political opening ended the two-party system with Law No. 6,767, of December 20, 1979: ARENA became the PDS and the MDB became the PMDB, and new parties such as the PT, PDT, PTB and PP appeared, bringing back the multiparty system. On November 15, 1982, Brazilians again elected governors by direct vote, for the first time since 1965. The regime ended in 1985, when Tancredo Neves was elected president, still indirectly, by the electoral college, and that same year illiterate people, previously excluded, won the right to vote.

Who could vote: Literate Brazilians over 18, with compulsory voting; illiterate people, those under 18, foreigners and conscripts could not vote, and even those who voted directly chose only deputies, city councillors, mayors outside the capitals and most senators, never the president, governors or mayors of state capitals.

• 1964Civil-military rupture (April 1); AI-1 (April 9) makes the presidential election indirect, and Congress elects Castelo Branco.
• 1965AI-2 (October 27) abolishes the parties and keeps the presidential election in the hands of Congress, paving the way for the two-party system; the Electoral Code is passed.
• 1966AI-3 (February) makes the elections for governor indirect; the only two parties take shape: ARENA (government) and MDB (opposition).
• 1968AI-5 (December 13) shuts down Congress, widens the revocation of mandates and suspends guarantees: the harshest point of the regime.
• 1977The April Package (April 13), imposed with Congress shut down, creates the 'bionic senators' (1/3 of the Senate elected indirectly) and extends the presidential term to 6 years.
• 1979Law No. 6,767 (December 20) ends the two-party system and restores the multiparty system: ARENA becomes the PDS and the MDB the PMDB; the PT, PDT, PTB and PP appear.
• 1982On November 15, direct elections for governor take place again for the first time since 1965, together with senators, deputies, mayors and city councillors.
• 1985End of the regime: Tancredo Neves is elected president by the electoral college (January); the same year illiterate people gain the right to vote (Constitutional Amendment No. 25).

The New Republic and the return to democracy

1985 to today

The end of the military regime (1964–1985) was marked by the Diretas Já campaign, which in 1983 and 1984 brought crowds to the streets calling for a direct presidential election. The proposal before Congress, the Dante de Oliveira amendment (PEC 5/1983), was rejected in the Chamber of Deputies on April 25, 1984: it had 298 votes in favor, but 320 were needed. Without the amendment, the succession still happened indirectly: on January 15, 1985, the Electoral College (federal legislators plus delegates from the state assemblies) elected Tancredo Neves, with 480 votes against 180 for Paulo Maluf. Taken ill, Tancredo never took office and died in April 1985; his vice president, José Sarney, took over as the first civilian president of the New Republic. Also in 1985, Constitutional Amendment No. 25, of May 15, restored the direct presidential election and extended the right to vote to illiterate people, excluded since the Saraiva Law of 1881.

The Federal Constitution of October 5, 1988 consolidated the rules in force to this day: popular sovereignty exercised through universal suffrage and a direct, secret, equal and periodic vote. Registration and voting became compulsory for those over 18 and optional for illiterate people, those over 70 and young people aged 16 and 17. The Constitution also established the runoff in majority elections: for president, governor and mayor of municipalities with more than 200,000 voters, if no candidate wins an absolute majority of the valid votes in the first round, the two with the most votes face a new vote. The first direct presidential election since 1960 took place in 1989, in two rounds (November 15 and December 17), won by Fernando Collor de Mello over Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the runoff (53.03% of the valid votes).

The modernization of voting came with the electronic voting machine, used for the first time in the 1996 municipal elections (in 57 cities, about a third of the electorate), under Law No. 9,100/1995, and adopted nationwide from 2000 on, replacing the paper ballot. On the party side, for decades parties could form coalitions, alliances valid for a single election, including in proportional races (deputies and city councillors). Constitutional Amendment No. 97, of October 4, 2017, banned proportional coalitions from 2020 on (keeping them only in majority races) and created the performance threshold, rising with each election, which makes access to the party fund and to free broadcast time depend on a minimum of votes or of elected deputies. In 2021, Law No. 14,208 created party federations: unlike a coalition, a federation joins parties for at least four years and acts as a single party, already in effect in the 2022 elections.

A recurring debate in recent decades is the one over the printed vote. Congress did pass provisions that brought back a printed record of the vote: Article 5 of Law No. 12,034, of 2009, and later Article 59-A added by Law No. 13,165, of 2015 (the electoral mini-reform), but in both cases the Supreme Federal Court declared the measure unconstitutional (in ADI 4543, in 2013, and in ADI 5889, in 2018), on the grounds that printing the vote would undermine the secrecy guaranteed by the Constitution. In 2021, a proposed constitutional amendment on the subject, PEC 135/2019, was rejected by the full Chamber of Deputies, without reaching the votes needed to move forward.

Today's system combines compulsory and optional voting, two rounds for executive posts, a proportional system for the legislative houses and a majority system for the Senate and the Executive, all counted on electronic voting machines run by the Electoral Court (TSE and the regional electoral courts, TREs).

Who could vote: Brazilian citizens, native-born or naturalized, from age 16; voting is compulsory from 18 to 70 and optional for those aged 16 and 17, those over 70 and illiterate people. Foreigners and conscripts (recruits in compulsory military service) cannot register.

• 1984Diretas Já campaign; the Dante de Oliveira amendment (direct election for president) is rejected in the Chamber on April 25: 298 votes in favor, 22 short of the 320 needed.
• 1985On January 15, the Electoral College elects Tancredo Neves (480 votes) over Paulo Maluf (180) in the last indirect presidential election; after Tancredo's death, José Sarney takes over the Presidency.
• 1985Constitutional Amendment No. 25, of May 15, restores the direct presidential election and grants illiterate people the right to vote.
• 1988The Federal Constitution is promulgated on October 5: universal suffrage, a direct and secret vote, a runoff in majority elections and compulsory voting from 18 to 70 (optional for ages 16-17, those over 70 and illiterate people).
• 1989First direct presidential election since 1960, in two rounds (Nov. 15 and Dec. 17); Fernando Collor defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the runoff with 53.03% of the valid votes.
• 1996The electronic voting machine is used for the first time, in the municipal elections (57 cities, about 1/3 of the electorate), under Law No. 9,100/1995.
• 2000The electronic voting machine is used in every polling station in the country.
• 2017Constitutional Amendment No. 97, of October 4, bans coalitions in proportional elections (from 2020 on) and creates the performance threshold, rising over time.
• 2021Law No. 14,208 creates party federations (a union of parties for at least four years, acting as a single party), applied already in the 2022 elections.

States that no longer exist

The map of Brazil used to be different, and each version went to the polls. Three units appeared and disappeared. Click to see the elections of each one.

Fernando de Noronha, Iguaçu and Ponta Porã were also federal territories, but they do not appear here: they have no election of their own in the database of Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Iguaçu and Ponta Porã existed only from 1943 to 1946 (abolished by the Constitution of 1946) and Fernando de Noronha was a territory until 1988. Today it is a district of Pernambuco. There is no election of their own to open; only Guanabara, Guaporé and Rio Branco got to elect representatives.

The elections, one by one

The Radar do Voto database starts in 1933, the first election under the Electoral Court. Below, every election from 1933 to 1989: click an office to see the result. From 1990 on, the link goes to the overview of the year.

G is General Election: president, governor, senator and deputies. L is Local Election (municipal): mayor and city councillor. From 1933 to 1990 the TSE does not publish municipal offices, so those years are all G.

From 1990 on, by year