Electoral Court explains how the confirmation interval works in electronic voting machines
Quick Look
- During the first round of the 2026 Elections, voters reported having pressed the 'Confirm' button twice on the electronic voting machines.
- The Electoral Court explained that the one-second interval, existing since 2022, serves to allow the vote to be checked, leaving the green key temporarily inactive.
- The vote is not lost if pressed during this period, simply press the button again after the interval.
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Why It Matters
The confirmation interval feature in electronic voting machines has existed since the 2022 Elections and was created to give voters time to check the candidate's data before completing the vote.
Electronic ballot box — Photo: Reproduction/TV Globo
During voting in the first round of the 2026 Elections, voters commented on social media that they pressed the "Confirm" button twice when choosing the candidate. This may happen because the electronic voting machine has a one-second interval for checking the vote before releasing the green key.
The resource has existed since the 2022 Elections and was created to encourage voters to check the candidate's data before completing the vote.
After all the candidate's numbers are entered, the message "Check your vote" appears at the bottom of the ballot box screen and flashes for a second. During this interval, the green "Confirm" key is temporarily inactive.
Therefore, if the voter presses the button at that moment, nothing happens. As soon as the conference period ends, whoever had pressed "Confirm" during this period had to press the key again to register the vote.
The vote is not canceled or lost if the person presses "Confirm" while the key is still locked.
Why does this gap exist?
According to the Electoral Court, the interval was implemented to give voters more time to check the information that appears on the ballot box screen before confirming their choice.
The mechanism works as follows:
the voter enters the candidate's or candidate's number;
corresponding information appears on the screen;
the message "Check your vote" is displayed in the footer for one second;
during this period, the "Confirm" key is inactive;
After the break, the button is released and the voter can confirm normally.
The Electoral Court also warns of false information circulating on social media about the functioning of the polls.
Publications state that it would be necessary to wait for the phrase "Confirm your vote" to appear on the screen before pressing the green key and that anyone who pressed the button before that could lose their vote. The information is false.
The phrase "Confirm your vote" does not appear on the electronic ballot box. The message displayed by the equipment is "Check your vote".
If the green key is pressed during the second reserved for the conference, it will simply have no effect. Once the button is released, simply press it again to complete the vote.
Open Questions
- What percentage of voters have already had to press the 'Confirm' button twice due to this interval?
- Does the Electoral Court plan to modify or remove this interval in future elections?
