More than 156 million voters, according to data from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), will choose, next Sunday (2), the names that will occupy the positions of president of the Republic, governor, senator and federal, state or district deputy.
Do you know for whom voting is mandatory and who can choose not to vote? Paragraph 1 of Article 14 of the Constitution establishes two categories of electorate for which voting is mandatory or optional in elections. According to the provision, electoral registration and voting are mandatory for voters over the age of 18, being optional for the illiterate and those over 70, as well as for those over 16 and under 18.
For the TSE, voting, even for those who have the right not to vote, is fundamental. “The exercise of citizenship begins with the choice of representatives of the population for the positions of the Executive and Legislative Powers at the federal, state or municipal levels. Therefore, it is very important that all voters – even those for whom voting is optional – appear at the electronic voting machines on Sunday (2), the first round of the general elections, and on October 30 (in any second round) to contribute to the definition of the country’s destiny”, emphasizes the court.
Numbers
According to data from the Electoral Court, released on July 15, there was a 6.21% increase in the electorate since the country’s last general elections, in 2018. At the time, the number of eligible voters was 147,306,275. In the 2022 Elections, 2,116,781 young people aged 16 and 17 are eligible to vote on an optional basis. In 2018, this age group reached 1,400,617. This number corresponds to voters aged 16 and 17 who will be that age on October 2, the date of the first round of elections.
Also in relation to 2018, there was a growth of 51.13% in this age group of the electorate. According to the Electoral Justice, the increase is mainly a result of the actions promoted during the Young Voter’s Week. In the first four months of 2022 alone, Brazil gained more than 2 million young voters.
The electorate over 70 also increased. The jump was 23.82%, from 12,028,608 in 2018 to 14,893,281 in 2022. This number represents 9.52% of the entire electorate entitled to vote on October 2nd.
