Voters face queues, section changes and demonstrate examples of citizenship at the polls

At 91 years old, Zilar de Castro faced difficulties in being able to vote. Accustomed to voting on the ground floor of CIEP 259 Professor Maria do Amparo Rangel de Souza, she was surprised when she arrived at the location and discovered that her section had moved to the second floor. As he didn't take his wheelchair, as he always voted on the ground floor, he had to be carried in a common chair by taxi driver Alexandre Leite and his nephew. Even with the difficulty of access, Zilar made a point of voting and spoke about the importance of exercising this right.

"I was carried in the car seat and voted. I think everyone should think about this: vote for whoever they want, but vote. Cast your vote with confidence, hoping for the best for our Brazil", said Zilar.

A party inspector was taken to the police station after filming her own vote in the voting booth. The incident was registered in section 30 of the Manoel Joaquim da Silva Pinto State School, in Cardoso Moreira, and was monitored by electoral judge Rodrigo Pinheiro Rebouças.

The conduct is prohibited by electoral legislation, which establishes the secrecy of voting and prevents the use of electronic devices in the voting booth. The case was forwarded to the police authority for appropriate action.

Maria Eleonora Garcia Bastos, 82 years old, went to vote with her husband, Paulo Luiz de Souza Bastos, at CIEP 467, in the Boa Fortuna neighborhood, in Itaperuna. Married for 61 years, they live in the Caiçara neighborhood. Dona Maria said that she always made a point of voting and that she only stopped participating in the election last year, when she suffered a stroke. She also left a message for young people and highlighted voting as a commitment to the country.

“I say that this is a patriotic duty, that they must vote,” he said.

To date, 127 ballot boxes have been replaced across the state, due to technical issues, handling between displacement 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.

Some sections of CIEP 467, Henry Amado, in the Fortuna neighborhood in Itaperuna, record long queues. The location is one of those with the largest number of voters in the city and also has a lot of election propaganda trash nearby.

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.

At 88 years old, Elza Alves da Silva maintains the tradition of voting and says she wants to contribute to a better Brazil. A resident of the Vale do Sol neighborhood, in Itaperuna, she insisted on going to the polls this Sunday (4), even without having to.

"I have already fulfilled my duty, an obligation as a citizen. We are Brazilians. And this year I preferred to come after lunch", he stated.

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, 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.

This Sunday (4), those who left home to vote in Petrópolis found a cloudy morning in the Imperial City. According to Clima Tempo, the temperature is between 16° and 23° degrees today.

Throughout the day, the sun must appear between many clouds, and at night the sky remains cloudy.

So far, there have been no problems with the electronic voting machines and the Military Police have not needed to intervene at the site.