I want to first start with an apology, because the picture accompanying this blog doesn’t fully capture it all. In Brazil, the election for mayor is done in two steps. In the first step, which I call the “weeding- out” step, there is an election held for every candidate that wants to be considered for the Office of Mayor. In this step, the prospective candidates are narrowed down to the two receiving the most votes. Approximately one month after the weeding-out step, there is a second election held to determine which one of the top two candidates will be mayor.
The first thing I noticed was the television coverage. On most, if not all, the public television stations regularly scheduled programming was interrupted to allow for a dedicated hour of pre-election propaganda. During this time, each candidate is given an opportunity to present information pertinent to his or her candidacy and to give their candidate number, which is used when the voters select their candidate of choice. I was told that when the voter goes into the voting booth, the person first enters the candidate’s number, then the candidate’s picture and name appears, at that time the candidate can confirm that the number corresponds with the intended candidate.
The
second thing I noticed was that the local advertisement for the weeding-out is different than for the
second election. In the first election, the
advertisement is similar to what we see in the United States (US), such as placards
in yards. However, there are two exceptions. I don’t recall seeing in the US billboards
all over the city and people handing out tracks (small pieces of paper with a
picture of the candidate and his or her number on it). In the US, even bumper stickers are reserved
for presidential candidates.
Finally,
I noticed that after the first election was over and the race had been narrowed
down to two candidates, the election fanfare was heightened to a new
level. It became typical to see candidate
supporters waiving large banners on the high trafficked streets. Typically, they were in groups of fours or
eights, divided to cover each side of the street. Tracks and high quality leaflets were
distributed regularly at strategic times of the day when the city center was
full of foot traffic. The most exciting
thing that I saw on the Saturday preceding the Sunday Election Day was two
parades, one for each candidate, in the city center.
In the
final analysis, it is my belief that the compulsory nature of voting in Brazil
makes it necessary to give the people sufficient information which leads to the
hope that they will be able to choose the candidate that will better serve the
city.
