World
BRASIL Brazil: voters who missed the first round can still cast a ballot in the runoff
Missing the first round does not bar participation on October 25 if the voter remains in good standing. People without registered biometrics will also be allowed to vote with an official photo ID.
Voters who did not take part in the first round of Brazil’s 2026 general elections on October 4 will still be able to vote normally in the runoff next Sunday, October 25, as long as their electoral status is regular, Agência Brasil reported.
The news agency said each round is treated as a separate election. For that reason, an absence in the first round does not prevent participation in the second. Voters have up to 60 days after each round to submit a justification for not voting.
The first round posted a record 33.4 million absences, equal to 21.08% of the electorate, according to Agência Brasil.
Voters nationwide will choose the next president and also governors in five states and the Federal District, where runoffs are required because no candidate received more than 50% plus one of the vote. The second round will take place in Acre, Amazonas, the Federal District, Espírito Santo, Rio Grande do Norte and Tocantins.
Agência Brasil also noted that workers who missed the first round because they were on duty cannot be prevented from voting this Sunday. Employers must arrange work schedules so employees have time to travel to their polling place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Brasília time.
More than 314,500 people asked the Electoral Justice system for permission to vote away from their home district in the runoff. That option will be available in state capitals and in municipalities with more than 100,000 voters, at polling stations set aside for that purpose. Those traveling within the same state as their registered voting address will be able to vote for both president and governor.
Polling-place information can be checked through the e-Título app or online via the electoral self-service platform. The deadline to justify an absence in the first round is December 3, and anyone who misses the second round will have until January 8, 2027 to do so. The procedure can be completed through e-Título, through Autoatendimento Eleitoral or in person at an electoral office. After election day, the request must include documents proving the reason for the absence.
In a separate report cited by Agência Brasil, the agency said biometric registration is not mandatory in order to vote. Anyone without biometrics on file, or whose fingerprint cannot be verified at the polling station, may still cast a ballot using an official photo ID such as the national identity card or driver’s license.
According to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, as cited by Agência Brasil, about 10.99% of the electorate still does not have biometrics registered. For those who do, the system allows up to four validation attempts. If identification still fails, poll workers will ask for the voter’s date of birth to enable voting.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
