TSE changes voting location for 590,000 voters for the 2nd round, and PT asks for more publicity

The TSE (Superior Electoral Court) changed the address of 2,033 voting stations in the country for the second round of this year's elections, on October 25, according to data updated this Sunday (18). The number represents 0.39% of the total, affecting 592 thousand voters.

According to the court, the changes occurred in some regions affected by rain, for example. Some buildings have been impacted by climate events or require renovation.

This Sunday, President Lula's coalition (PT) made a request to the court for measures to ensure wide dissemination of the changes, as well as voter movement measures, especially given the abstention of 21.08% of the electorate in the first round.

"It is a fact that there are several factors that lead to this high rate of non-attendance at the polls, however, the large number of voters who were unable to vote due to changing polling places drew attention", say the lawyers.

The Electoral Court highlighted that changes are not decided centrally by the TSE. The responsibility lies with each electoral zone according to the available infrastructure. "The TSE further clarifies that the transfer of a polling place to another building does not mean a reduction in polling stations or harm to voters," said the court, in a note.

Still according to information from the TSE, the Brazilian electorate voted in 499,248 polling stations in the first round, a number maintained for the second round. To find out if there has been a change in the voting location, simply access Electoral Self-Service, on the TSE portal. The query can also be made using the e-Título app (iOS and Android).

According to the court, one of the emblematic cases of change was the municipality of Confresa (MT). After heavy rain and winds recorded on October 9 and 10, a municipal school used as a polling place had its roof damaged and suffered from leaks and damaged ceilings.

"An engineering report issued on October 11 recommended the immediate preventive closure of the property, which forced the emergency transfer of the sections to a neighboring address," he stated in the text.

Polling stations are the units in which voters are organized to vote in elections. Each section has an electronic ballot box and a list of qualified voters.

For the first shift, weather conditions are also on the operation's radar. The rain forecast in the South and the drought scenario in the North were monitored by a specific team. On October 4, the court organized a weather situation room to monitor the impacts of weather conditions on voting and electoral logistics.

In situations where people's movement is impeded due to floods or drought, the Armed Forces and local court structures could act. The Labor Courts are in cooperation with the TSE as they have more courts spread across the country.

The network operates on a daily and integrated monitoring basis with bodies such as Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology), Cemaden (National Center for Monitoring and Alerts of Natural Disasters), Inpe (National Institute for Space Research), ANA (National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency), Civil Defense and the Armed Forces to monitor storms, droughts or natural disasters that could compromise voting locations or transport routes.