In a month, Brazil will head to the polls to elect a new president for the country. Brazilians residing abroad are required to vote only for the positions of president and vice president. However, the exercise of this civic duty is restricted to those who have transferred their voter registration to a polling station abroad.
According to the Consulate-General of Brazil in New York, there are currently 700,000 Brazilian citizens eligible to vote outside Brazil. The largest polling station is located in the United States. In the consular region of New York, which includes the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Bermuda, there are 28,000 voters, 5,000 more than in the previous elections.
With the elections approaching, The Brasilians interviewed by phone the Deputy Consul, Rafael Pacheco, from the Consulate-General of Brazil in New York, to inform Brazilians about how to proceed to vote.
See below the topics addressed in the interview and the explanations from the Deputy Consul.
When to Vote
The Brazilian presidential elections take place in two rounds. The first round is scheduled for Sunday, October 2, and the second round, Sunday, October 30. It is important to remember that the second round is only necessary when a candidate fails to obtain more than half of the valid votes (excluding blank and null votes) in the first election.
Where to Vote
According to Rafael Pacheco, there are 11 polling stations in the United States. To find out the voting location for each of them, he suggests downloading the e-Título app on your mobile phone.
For voters in the consular region of New York (the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Bermuda), the voting location is:
CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL
350 East 56th Street,
New York, NY, USA – 10022
The Consul emphasizes that this is the only voting location for those in this consular sector and that the school is in an area easily accessible by the city’s public transportation system.
About the E-Título
The e-Título is an app that can be installed for free on your mobile phone. There, the voter can access the digital version of their title, check the voting location, issue certificates of electoral compliance, among other things.
“In this app, people will know their electoral section. Knowing this number is very important on voting day. Additionally, with the digital title, people do not need to worry about bringing the physical one,” emphasizes the Consul, who encourages all voters to have the e-Título on their phones.
“The registration is quite simple; just enter personal data such as full name, parentage, and CPF, which were provided to the Electoral Justice,” he adds.
Who Can Vote
Only those who have transferred their electoral domicile can vote in the United States. This transfer can only be requested up to one hundred and fifty-one days before the elections. That is, the deadline has already passed.
Moreover, only those in good standing with the Electoral Justice will be able to vote.
“Those who are in an irregular situation with the Electoral Justice will not be able to exercise their right to vote,” emphasizes the Consul. “The deadline to regularize the title was May 4. We conducted a very intense campaign on social media to encourage people to regularize their situation, but unfortunately, those who did not do so by May 4 will not be able to vote and will only be able to regularize their title after the elections.”
• How to Check Your Electoral Situation
Visit the website of the Superior Electoral Court https://www.tse.jus.br
What to do if you cannot vote
Those who cannot vote must justify their absence at the polls.
“The justification for those who are not in their electoral zone and cannot vote can be made through the e-Título app,” says the Consul. He further explains that those who do not justify their absence risk having their title canceled. “Failing to vote once does not mean that your title is irregular. From the third absence at the polls, then yes, the title can become irregular and even be canceled,” he clarifies. To prevent this from happening, the Consul encourages voters who cannot vote to wait until after the elections and justify their absence through the app.
Necessary Documents to Vote
The voter must present their voter title. The Consul encourages that it be the digital version. But he highlights that the physical title will also be accepted. In addition to the title, a Brazilian photo ID is required.
“The title does not identify the person. There must be an identification document with a photo. We encourage that it be a Brazilian document. The Electoral Justice has not yet commented on the use of an American identity. If this happens in the coming weeks, we will inform voters about it,” he says.
How to Follow Updates on the Elections in the USA
To maintain impartiality during the electoral period, the websites and traditional social media of the Consulates have been deactivated, and temporary pages have been created specifically to keep Brazilian citizens informed about the elections.
Brazilians voting in the New York polling station can obtain information about the elections through the temporary pages of the Consulate-General of Brazil in New York on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The Consul says that a series of explanatory videos will be posted to keep voters fully informed until election day.
Instagram: Consuladobrnyctemp
Facebook: consuladobrnyctemporario
Twitter: cgbrnytemp
Download the E-Título App on Your Phone
• If you do not have the app, do not forget to bring your physical voter title.
• Bring a Brazilian photo ID (e.g., your passport))
KARINE PORCEL
Journalist