Elections: first round registers 4.20% of blank and null ballots

The head of the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE) Minister Alexandre de Moraes said that the first round of elections was marked by a reduction in the number of blank and null ballots. The data were released during a press conference on the balance of the election day on October 2.

According to the court, among the 80 percent of voters who went to the polls, 4.20 percent of blank and null ballots have been registered. In the 2018 elections, the rate stood at 8.8 percent.

"Approximately 7.5 million more people have decided not to vote blank or null, but to choose a candidate. Perhaps because it is a very competitive election, more polarized. This may have been one of the reasons for long queues, he explaines. For him, a person who votes for 5 candidates needs more time than a person who votes blank or null. These are very interesting data, because they represent a greater effective participation of the populatio in the election of the country's leaders," he declared.

Moraes also confirmed that the abstention rate stood at 20.89 percent, a number considered by the minister to be within the average of previous elections, which is usually around 20 percent. In the municipal elections of 2020, held during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of absentee voters stood at 23.15 percent.

Regarding the voting day, the head of the Superior Electoral Court considered that the Electoral Justice has fulfilled its mission of guaranteeing the security and transparency of the elections in the country.

"The Brazilian society has shown a great democratic maturity. The voters have gone to the polling stations, voted, and chosen their candidates in absolute peace and safety," he said.