In Sertãozinho (SP), two people were arrested in the early hours of Sunday (4) after being caught throwing saints out of the window of a vehicle. During an approach by the Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM), they said that they were leftover campaign stickers and claimed that they were disposing of the material. They were taken to the Police Station, interviewed and released after recording the incident.
Despite the queues at Escola Barão de Franca this Sunday morning (4), the movement is as expected, according to Alex do Vale, who works as a poll worker there. According to him, the queues are related to the time needed to register the six votes. “Sometimes there is a little queue, but nothing out of the ordinary,” he said.
The expectation is that the flow will decrease during lunch time and increase again in the middle of the afternoon. To speed up voting, the guideline is to take the line with the candidate numbers in the correct sequence. According to Alex, some voters have been confused in the order of votes.
The movement at Escola Barão de Franca was intense this Sunday morning (4). The location has 16 voting stations and recorded queues in all of them, with longer or shorter waiting times. In some cases, voters reported having waited more than 40 minutes to vote. Despite the intense flow, no complications were recorded in the first hours of voting.
According to the support team, the perception on site is that the movement is greater this year and that more voters are showing up to vote, in the opinion of professionals who monitor the movement this Sunday.
Accountant André Fischer did not go alone to fulfill his civic duty. Accompanied by his pet dog, Kika, he took advantage of his trip to Escola Professora Amélia dos Santos Musa to walk with his pet.
“She goes where I go,” said the voter.
With a morning of calm voter movement and no incidents at the polls, the school expects to receive around 7,500 voters by the end of the day.
RIBEIRÃO PRETO — Education and safety are the areas that matter most when choosing car mechanic Rogério Gomes. He voted this Sunday morning (4) at Escola Professora Amélia dos Santos Musa, in the Ipiranga neighborhood. For Rogério, the population needs safety to move around the streets and adequate education for children. He decided to vote early to have the rest of Sunday free. "You have to vote. I think it's our right to come and vote."
ELECTIONS IN LIBRAS - This year, the elections in Ribeirão Preto (SP) have something new for those who are deaf or have some hearing impairment. When the deaf voter arrives at a polling place, they find a Libras interpreter to do all the work to receive the voter and take them to the voting session.
During the election session, deaf voters cannot be accompanied by a Libras interpreter, but they will have full support to be able to vote. It is important that deaf voters have all the numbers written down so they can type them into the electronic ballot box.
FRANCA — The David Carneiro Ewbank State School (Cede), the largest voting location in Franca, expects to receive approximately 6,300 voters this Sunday (4). The unit has 19 electoral stations. The movement was greater in the morning, as was already expected by those responsible for the organization. Despite the influx of voters, voting went smoothly. According to poll workers and members of logistical support, none of the ballot boxes presented any problems and there was no need to replace equipment during the morning.
FRANCA — Even at the age of 74 and without the obligation to vote, retirees Aldecir Jardim Ribeiro and Flora Célia Ribeiro made a point of exercising their citizenship this Sunday morning (4), at the David Carneiro Ewbank State School (CEDE). "I make a point of voting, not for myself, but for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It is our duty to choose and fight for future generations", said Aldecir.
Flora stated that she intends to continue voting as long as she has the strength and summarized her relationship with the ballot box: “Today I see voting as our weapon to do our part and leave a legacy for younger people”.
Environmental engineer Gabriele Grignoli voted accompanied by her parents this Sunday (4), at Escola Professora Amélia dos Santos Musa, in the Ipiranga neighborhood, in Ribeirão Preto (SP). For her, each voter can contribute to the future of the country.
"We think that just one doesn't make a difference, but it's the opposite. We can't abstain. It's an opportunity to exercise our right to vote to make the country better."
Gabriele also highlighted that the choices made at the polls have an impact on different areas of daily life. "Whether it's the environment, education or health, these are resources that everyone uses. So not being part of it doesn't make sense."
Her father, Jean Carlo Grignoli, 61, voted alongside his daughter and wife, Carmen Felca Grignoli. “For me, the important thing is that we have the opportunity to exercise our rights as citizens.”
Cook Isabel Pereira da Silva voted this Sunday morning (4) at Escola Professora Amélia dos Santos Musa, in the Ipiranga neighborhood, in Ribeirão Preto (SP). She highlighted the importance of voter participation in choosing representatives and advocated that voters of all ages participate in voting.
"We have to know how to choose, because everything depends on our vote for the country to move forward. Everyone has to come. Whoever is older, whoever is younger, everyone has to participate. We have to be aware and vote well."
RIBEIRÃO PRETO - Teacher Vanessa Aparecida Mastrogiacomo took advantage of the morning time to register her vote at Escola Professora Amélia dos Santos Musa, in the Ipiranga neighborhood. According to the voter, movement in the area was very calm during the first hours of the day. For her, exercising the right to vote is an essential step that requires responsibility from the population.
"We have to seek improvement for our country, which is so complicated. We have to think, research the projects carefully, everything that each one has achieved and try to do the best", highlighted Vanessa when explaining the importance of leaving home to choose your representatives consciously.
A woman was arrested this Sunday morning (4) after being caught distributing saints belonging to a candidate near Colégio Maria Jesus José, East Zone of Franca (SP). The case took place on Rua Francisco Marques, in Vila São Sebastião. According to the Military Police, the woman was approached by a party inspector while delivering campaign material. She was taken to the Judiciary Police Center (CPJ), where an electoral crime was reported. According to the police, the woman was interviewed and her cell phone was seized. After procedures at the police station, she will be released.
CONTINGENCY BALLOTTS - Contingency ballot boxes, which are reserve or replacement ballot boxes, are kept at the Electoral Office and are exchanged if the ballot box already in an electoral session presents some type of problem. Often, changing the battery or even restarting the equipment solves the problem, without needing replacement. But in cases where the ballot box does not, in fact, work, a contingency ballot box is used. A team at the electoral session will assess the need for this replacement.
RIBEIRÃO PRETO – Poll worker Janaina Guimarães Martins reports that some sections of the Faculty of Technology (Fatec), in the West Zone of the city, were slow this Sunday morning (4). According to her, the flow of voters who needed to justify their vote and priority assistance to the elderly contributed to the increase in waiting times.
"It's usually very quiet here, but this year, my section is very busy due to justifications and some elderly people who have priority and end up taking a little longer. But everything is going well", he reported.
The first bulletin, issued at 9:30 am by the São Paulo Regional Electoral Court (TRE-SP), indicates that, to date, 24 ballot boxes have been replaced throughout the interior of the state, which corresponds to 0.028% of the total ballot boxes available for the 2026 elections in São Paulo. In the capital, there were eight substitutions. In total, the state has 114,605 ballot boxes.
