Voters face queues, misinformation and problems with ballot boxes in municipal elections in Cabo Frio

Dalvo Pereira, 93, from Cabo Frio, left home early this Sunday with a mission: to put his vote in the ballot box. He votes at Colégio Estadual Miguel Couto, in Cabo Frio.

"It's very important! It's our duty to come and vote", said the man, who worked as an elections officer for more than 40 years.

To date, 127 ballot boxes have been replaced across the state, due to technical problems, handling problems or paper jams. This number represents 0.29% of the ballots. According to TRE's Information Technology Secretary, Michel Kovacs, the data is within normal limits compared to the 2024 elections.

In Cabo Frio, at Estácio de Sá University, the second largest electoral center in the city, with 18 sections and 5454 registered voters, there are many people confused about the room in which they will vote. It is the first election in which the University acts as a voting location. Many older people are also being affected by misinformation.

Closing is scheduled for 5pm, Brasília time. However, this does not mean that whoever is in line at 5pm will be left without voting. If there are voters in line at the time of closing, poll workers must identify these people and provide a password. Voting continues until everyone who was in line at the deadline has voted.

In Iguaba Grande, the Military Police and representatives of the Public Ministry detained a 66-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman, found with political campaign materials, such as stickers, saints and an electoral propaganda flag. Those involved and the materials were sent to the 129th Police Station.

Voters who vote at Colégio Municipal Rui Barbosa, in the center of Cabo Frio, in the Lakes Region of Rio, complain about the long queues to vote. According to them, there is control at the school entrance, and while waiting to enter, many voters need to stay in the sun. According to Clima Tempo, the temperature in the city varies between 21° and a maximum of 25° degrees, this Sunday (4). The college has nine polling stations and, in total, 2,958 voters are able to vote there.

Voters report that at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), in Cabo Frio, waiting in lines is taking around 20 minutes. The preferential queues began to flow. A man interviewed by g1 gave a tip:

"It was peaceful. You can't help but bring the glue, otherwise it will be bad (laughs). It's very important for you to come and vote," said Milton Carlos, real estate agent.

The priority line at some voting locations is taking a long time to move, according to reports from elderly people who are waiting. According to a 91-year-old man, he has been waiting for more than an hour for his turn to vote at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).

Hey guys! On several streets in Cabo Frio we can see a lot of election campaign trash thrown on the ground, especially around polling places. Isabela Chaboudt spoke to cleaning teams and discovered that, even before the gates opened, they had already been sweeping up election propaganda for over an hour.

We are starting our coverage in Real Time, and voters are already arriving at the polling places. This is the Professor Edilson Duarte Municipal School, in Jardim Caiçara, in Cabo Frio. The queue at the site started at 7am. It is the largest polling place in zone 96. There are 5,547 voters.