Justice extends free transport to quilombolas and riverside communities in the 2nd round of elections in PA

This Friday (23), the Federal Court expanded free transportation and food for traditional communities in the 2nd round. The decision responds to the request of the MPF.

The federal government's action plan was approved by the Courts. If official vehicles are not made available, expenses proven by the communities will be reimbursed.

The MPF took legal action on Wednesday (21) after identifying high abstention in the 1st round. Voters reported journeys of up to 1,000 kilometers without public assistance.

This Friday (23), the Federal Court expanded the decision that obliges the Union to guarantee free transportation and food for indigenous voters in the second round of the 2026 elections.

The measure now also benefits quilombolas, riverside dwellers, extractivists, artisanal fishermen and families settled in difficult-to-access areas across the country.

The decision responds to a request from the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), which filed a public civil action to guarantee access to the polls for communities facing travel difficulties. The second round is scheduled for this Sunday (25).

The Court also approved the action plan presented by the federal government to comply with the court order within 24 hours.

The document foresees the joint action of federal agencies, the Armed Forces and the Federal Police, in conjunction with city halls and the Electoral Court.

g1 contacted the Federal Attorney General's Office, requesting a position on the case, but has not yet received a response until the last update of the report.

Communities may receive refunds

If there is no time to make official vehicles available before voting, the decision authorizes the reimbursement of expenses paid by the communities and community associations themselves.

Reimbursement may include expenses for fuel, boat and car rental, food during travel, accommodation and hiring translators or facilitators of original languages.

Proof of expenses can be done in a simplified way, through a declaration signed by community leaders, accompanied by invoices, receipts or photographs. After analysis by public bodies, payments will be released through a Small Value Request (RPV), as provided for in the decision.

In case of unjustified non-compliance with the determinations, the Union may be fined R$1 million per day.

Understand the case

The MPF presented the action to the Federal Court in Belém, on Wednesday (21), after identifying difficulties faced by traditional communities in voting in the first round of elections.

According to the organization, voters stopped going to the polls because of the long distances to polling places, the lack of free transport and the lack of linguistic support.

In Pará, communities of the Araweté, Arara, Parakanã, Xikrin and Munduruku people reported traveling up to a thousand kilometers along rivers to reach the polling stations without assistance from public authorities.

The MPF also identified high rates of forced abstention in states such as Amazonas, Mato Grosso do Sul, Amapá, Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul. Therefore, it asked that the measures be expanded to the entire country.

In addition to the measures for the second round, the body requests that the Union be ordered to create and maintain a permanent national plan for electoral accessibility and logistics for the next elections. This request will still be analyzed by the Court.