Brazil voters up 7 million

Brazil’s electorate has grown 5.17% over the last four years, taking a leap from 135,804,433 in 2010 to 142.822.046 voters, reported today (Jul 29) the Superior Electoral Court (“TSE”).

The Southeast concentrates the largest number of qualified voters, 62,042,794 (43,44%), followed by the Northeast, 38,269,533 (26.80%), the South, 21,117,307 (14.79%), the North, 10,801,178 (7.57%), and the Central-West, 10,238,058 (7.17%). São Paulo, where 8,782,406 electors are located, is the largest electoral district.

In the 2014 elections, the number of Brazilian voters abroad stand at 354,184, 0.25% of country’s total amount—75.75% higher than it was reported in 2010. These people are spread through 118 countries, nearly half of them in the US.

For TSE President Dias Toffoli, this expansion comes as a result of strengthened advertising campaigns and more opening on the part of Brazilian consulates. “I think there’s been an improvement in the relations with Itamaraty [the Brazilian Foreign Ministry], which increases and facilitates the access of Brazilian voters overseas to our consulates. There’s also been a significant improvement in the number of consulates in countries with which Brazil maintains diplomatic relations.”

According to the TSE, the majority of the country’s electorate is made up by women, with 74,459,424 (52.13%). Men total 68,247,598 (47.79%).

More elders, fewer youths

Despite the fact that the Brazilian electorate has expanded 5% in the last four years, the participation of young voters in 2014 will be less significant than it was in 2010, the TSE reported today (Jul 29).

The group of electors younger than 17 years old, for instance, has decreased in number. In 2010, 1,490,545 youths in this age group were qualified to vote. In 2014, this amount has dropped by 331,838 to 1,158,707. The percentage of elderly voters, in turn, has escalated. In 2010, those at 60 and above totaled 20 million. This year, however, the figure has reached over 24 million.

In Tofolli’s view, this reduction owes much to the population’s aging process. According to the electoral court, most electors in Brazil today are between the ages of 25 and 59, making up a total of more than 67 million people.

In Brazil, voting is mandatory for those older than 18 and younger than 71 years old, and optional from 16 to 18. Elections are slated for October, when Brazilians will elect their president, the governors of all 27 states, senators, as well as federal and local deputies.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira