Elections 2022: Here’s what you can and can’t do on polling day

There are 50 days left for the 2022 Elections, and the Electoral Justice has already started to reinforce for the voter, especially for those who vote for the first time, the procedures and also what the voter can or cannot do on polling day.

First of all, the voter must check where their polling station is, that is, where the urn in which they should vote is located. The address can be found at Superior Electoral Court portal (TSE).

Then, before going to the place, the voter must make sure that he takes with him the voter registration card – in the digital version through the e-Título app or in paper – and an official document with photo – RG, CNH, passport, certificate of reservist, work card or even cards issued by professional bodies such as the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), Federam Medicine Council (CFM), Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy (Crea) etc.

On polling day, voters can express their political and ideological convictions, as long as this is done individually and silently. This means that you are free to go to vote with a pin, flag, sticker or t-shirt of your candidate or party. It is not allowed, however, the agglomeration of people wearing uniforms or carrying any candidate or party identifier.

It is also prohibited to approach, entice or try to persuade people who are going to vote, warns the Electoral Justice. Such attitudes can constitute the crime of exiting the ballot box, a practice prohibited by electoral legislation and whose penalty can be from six months to one year of detention.

Another warning made by the Electoral Justice is for the female voter not to take a cell phone or camera to the voting booth. Taking pictures of the ballot box and votes is not allowed, as it is seen as a way of breaking the secrecy of the vote, one of the fundamental principles of the electoral process.

According to the TSE, anyone caught in the booth with any telecommunication device – including cell phone, walkie talkie or radio transmitter – or registered as a camera and camcorder, can be framed in article 312 of the Electoral Code, which provides for a penalty of up to two years of imprisonment for anyone who violates or attempts to violate the secrecy of the vote.

In the case of voters with disabilities or reduced mobility, the person can count on the help of a person of their choice to vote, even if this has not been requested before polling day.

According to the TSE, the voter or blind voter can receive guidance from poll workers on the use of the audio system available in the electronic voting machine, with disposable headphones offered by the Electoral Justice.

This year, there are polls that have subtitles in pounds, to help those who have hearing impairments vote.