Voters aged 70 or over insist on voting in the South of Minas, even with optional voting

In Passos, retiree Sara Dias asked her daughter to take her to her voting station, which is at the State University of Minas Gerais (UEMG).

“She made a point of exercising her citizenship and being able to complain — if necessary — and give her opinion on our policies,” says her daughter, Débora Dias.

In Lavras, retired seamstress Maria de Fátima Nascentes, aged 73, went with her husband, aged 78, to vote very early in the E.E. Firmino Costa, an act they had already done in the first round.

"It's a citizen's duty. And, as I'm well, lucid, as long as I can vote, even at 100 [years old] I'll vote", he states.

In Brazil, voting is optional for illiterate people, young people aged 16 and 17 and people over 70 years old. Anyone in these conditions can vote normally, but is not obliged to go to the polls. If you do not vote, you do not need to justify your absence or pay a fine.

The country has 17.25 million voters over 70 years of age. In the first round, held on October 4, 8.77 million attended, according to microdata analysis from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), carried out by Movimento Voto 70+ in conjunction with the Data8 research center.

Minas Gerais has 2,083,019 voters aged 70 or over, according to data from the state's Regional Electoral Court, corresponding to 12.73% of the Minas Gerais electorate.