Punishment for Not Voting in Brazil and How to Fix It
BRAZIL · ELECTION 2026 · VOTERS
Runoff · Sunday, 25 October
Flávio Bolsonaro vs Lula: what happens next
First-round results, how the runoff works, the key dates and who backs whom, in one guide.
Key Facts
- —The country Brazil, where voting is compulsory for literate citizens aged 18 to 70.
- —What happened Brazil held the first round of its general election on Sunday 4 October. Voters who stayed away now face a fine and paperwork blocks.
- —The punishment Usually R$3.51 (about US$0.70) per missed round, plus blocks on passports, public exams and public pay until settled.
- —Deadlines Thursday 3 December 2026 for the Sunday 4 October round, and Friday 8 January 2027 for the Sunday 25 October runoff.
- —How to justify Online with the e-Título app or the court’s self-service website, or in person at any electoral office, with supporting documents.
- —Living abroad Voters abroad can justify online, or within 30 days of returning to Brazil. No justification desks are set up abroad.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket gives Flávio Bolsonaro an 86.4% chance of winning the 25 October runoff (13 October, 8:41 a.m. ET). Polymarket puts Flávio Bolsonaro’s chance of winning at 86% and Kalshi at 87% (Lula: 13% and 13%), as of 13 October, 9:20 am ET; prices are bets, not polls.
The punishment for not voting in Brazil is a small fine, usually R$3.51 (about US$0.70) for each missed round. Until it is paid or justified, the voter cannot get a passport, sit public exams or draw a public salary.
Voters who skipped the first round on Sunday 4 October have until Thursday 3 December to justify it, says the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Our report on election day covered the hours and rules for 4 October, and this guide covers what happens next.
What Is the Punishment for Not Voting in Brazil
Voting is compulsory for literate Brazilian citizens aged 18 to 70, and every unjustified absence becomes a debt with the electoral courts. The fine is charged per round, so missing both 4 October and 25 October means two fines.
The Electoral Code leaves the amount to an electoral judge, within a range set by law. In practice it is R$3.51 (about US$0.70) per round, according to Agência Senado, the Senate’s news service, and the news agency Brasil 61.
A judge can raise the fine up to tenfold when the standard amount would mean nothing to a wealthy voter. Voters who prove they are poor are exempt from paying at all.
The money is not the real punishment for not voting in Brazil, because the debt shuts doors that matter far more. While it stands, the court will not issue the voter clearance certificate (certidão de quitação eleitoral) that many official steps require.
What You Cannot Do Until You Settle
The heavier punishment for not voting in Brazil sits in Article 7 of the Electoral Code, which the court repeats online. A voter in debt cannot obtain a passport or identity card, or sign up for, or take office after, a public-sector exam.
Public employees can have their pay withheld from the second month after the election. The debt also bars bids for government contracts and re-enrollment at public or state-supervised schools.
Any act that requires proof of military service or income tax clearance is blocked as well. The current list no longer includes loans from state lenders, a clause Congress repealed in 2023.
Deadlines After the 4 October Vote
The electoral court gives voters 60 days after each round to justify an absence. For the first round on Sunday 4 October, that window closes on Thursday 3 December 2026.
For the runoff on Sunday 25 October, the court’s published deadline is Friday 8 January 2027. Voters who were abroad on election day can also justify within 30 days of returning to Brazil.
Voters who miss the deadline, or have no reason to give, can lift the punishment for not voting in Brazil by paying the fine. The court accepts payment by bank slip (boleto), PIX instant transfer or credit card.
How to Justify an Absence
The simplest route is the e-Título app for Android and iOS, the official digital voter card. The court’s self-service website, Autoatendimento Eleitoral, also known as Título Net, takes the same request online.
After election day, the request must include supporting documents that show why the voter could not attend. It can also be filed in person at any electoral office, known as a cartório eleitoral.
On election day itself the rules are lighter, because no documents are needed. The app, a paper form or a polling-station justification desk all work from 8:00 to 17:00 Brasília time.
The Runoff on 25 October
Missing the first round does not stop anyone from voting on Sunday 25 October, even without a justification on file. Polls run from 8:00 to 17:00 Brasília time, 7:00 to 16:00 US Eastern, as our runoff voting guide explains.
Each round carries its own fine, so the punishment for not voting in Brazil repeats with a second absence. Voters away from their voting town that day can justify through the app instead of voting.
A registration can be cancelled after three consecutive missed rounds with no vote, justification or fine paid. Each round counts as a separate election, the electoral court says, so skipping both 2026 rounds counts as two.
What Prediction Markets Say
Bettors on Polymarket gave Flávio Bolsonaro an 86.4% chance of winning the runoff at 8:41 a.m. ET on 13 October, with Lula at 12.5%. Flávio is a conservative senator and the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, while Lula is the left-wing incumbent.
About US$180.5 million has been bet on that market, and these are bets, not polls. A smaller market on the overseas vote gave Lula a 65.5% chance of winning the most votes cast abroad.
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 86.4% · Lula 12.5% (US$181 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 87% · Lula 13%
As of 13 October, 9:20 am ET (14:20 Lisbon), updated every 20 minutes. Prices are bets, not polls, and can move fast.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for US Readers
Brazilians registered abroad, including in the United States, vote only for president and vice-president, at consulates and embassies. They only have to justify a missed presidential vote, and no justification desks are set up outside Brazil.
Brazilians in the US can use the e-Título app or the self-service website, or justify within 30 days of returning home. The overseas electoral zone, known as ZZ, takes questions, and the Federal District’s regional electoral court posts guidance online.
An unresolved debt can block any document requested from a Brazilian embassy or consulate. The passport ban does not apply to a voter abroad who needs a new passport to identify themselves and return to Brazil.
For dual nationals in the US, the punishment for not voting in Brazil starts with a fine of less than a dollar. The practical risk is a stalled passport renewal or consular request months later, long after the election is forgotten.
What Is Not Known
It is not yet known how many first-round absentees will justify or pay before 3 December. Abstention reached 21.08% of registered voters on 4 October, about 33.5 million people, as our report on turnout showed.
It is also unclear how many voters will stay away again on 25 October. Each unjustified absence adds another fine and brings a registration one round closer to cancellation.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the punishment for not voting in Brazil?
Usually a fine of R$3.51 (about US$0.70) for each missed round. Until it is paid or the absence justified, the voter cannot get a passport or ID card, take public exams or receive public pay.
What is the deadline to justify missing the 4 October vote?
Thursday 3 December 2026, 60 days after the first round. For the 25 October runoff, the electoral court’s deadline is Friday 8 January 2027.
Can I vote in the runoff if I missed the first round?
Yes, because missing one round does not cancel a registration. Each round carries its own fine, so a missed runoff adds a second one.
How do Brazilians in the US justify an absence?
Through the e-Título app or the electoral court’s self-service website, since no justification desks are set up abroad. They can also justify within 30 days of returning to Brazil.
Sources: Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Justificativa eleitoral (deadlines, routes, restrictions, cancellation, voters abroad), accessed 13 October 2026; Agência Senado, Faltou à eleição? Saiba como justificar e evitar multas, 31 August 2026; Brasil 61, Faltou às urnas? Saiba como justificar a ausência até 3 de dezembro, 6 October 2026; Presidency of Brazil (Planalto), Electoral Code, Law 4,737 of 1965, Articles 7, 225 and 367, accessed 13 October 2026; Presidency of Brazil (Planalto), Law 14,690 of 2023 (repeal of the loan clause), accessed 13 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief