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BRASIL Eight Brazilian states will restrict alcohol sales in the runoff while others leave the decision local
Alcohol bans for the 2026 election runoff will vary across Brazil, with state and local electoral authorities setting the rules. O Globo reported that at least eight states will impose statewide restrictions, while others will not or will leave the matter to local judges.
Brazil will hold the second round of its 2026 elections under different alcohol rules depending on the state. According to a roundup published by O Globo, at least eight states will enforce statewide restrictions on alcohol sales during voting on Sunday the 25th, while other areas will have no general ban or will leave the decision to local electoral judges.
The states set to impose dry-law restrictions are Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Piauí and Roraima. By contrast, no statewide restriction will apply in Alagoas, Ceará, the Federal District, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Sergipe.
In Bahia, O Globo reported that each electoral district may decide separately, and more than 200 cities will have some kind of restriction or prohibition. Salvador was not on the list released by the state electoral court as of the latest update. Tocantins will also follow a local approach: in Palmas, the ban will run from midnight on Sunday until 5 p.m., while in the Araguaína and Porto Nacional areas it will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday and end at 6 p.m. on Sunday. The measure also covers Brejinho de Nazaré, Ipueiras, Monte do Carmo, Porto Nacional, Santa Rita do Tocantins and Silvanópolis.
Among the states with statewide bans, the time windows differ. In Acre, the restriction will run from 12 a.m. to 4 p.m.; in Amazonas, from 2 a.m. to 5 p.m.; in Maranhão, from 12 a.m. to 8 p.m.; in Mato Grosso, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; in Pará, from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and in Piauí, from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to O Globo. In Amapá and Roraima, electoral courts confirmed the bans but did not specify the hours. In several cases, violations may be treated as disobedience under electoral rules.
The purpose of the restriction is to prevent disorder at or near polling places. O Globo noted that the rule once applied nationwide but is now defined on a state-by-state basis.
In separate coverage, g1 Globo reported that voters in the runoff will choose between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro for the presidency, and that voters in Acre, Amazonas, the Federal District, Rio Grande do Norte, Espírito Santo and Tocantins will also vote for governor.
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.
