The Runoff That Could Reshape Latin America: What's at Stake as Brazil Votes Today

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Voting Begins Across Brazil With No Early Incidents

Voting runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by Brasília time throughout the country, per the unified schedule established by the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE). Any voter standing in line at 5 p.m. is still entitled to cast a ballot, even if processing extends past closing. Results from the TSE are expected to begin rolling in once polls close.

As of early morning, before polling locations opened, no electoral incidents had been registered by the justice system. São Paulo's Civil and Military Police launched a dedicated security operation across all 645 municipalities in the state, coordinated through the Secretary of Public Security, with preventive reinforcement deployed at every voting site and armed escorts accompanying electronic ballot boxes throughout the day.

Where Each Candidate Casts Their Vote

Both candidates were scheduled to vote at 8 a.m. sharp when polls opened. Flávio Bolsonaro heads to Seção 170 at Escola Municipal Barão Homem de Mello, in the Vila Isabel neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro's North Zone — the same polling station where he voted in the first round on October 4. Lula votes at Escola Estadual Dr. João Firmino Correia de Araújo, in the Assunção neighborhood of São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo — his longtime political home base.

Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro, 45, is an attorney, former Rio de Janeiro state deputy, and sitting federal senator who is contesting the presidency for the first time. His candidacy carries the direct endorsement of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was declared ineligible by the TSE for abuse of political and communications power following the 2022 elections and was later convicted by the Supreme Court on five counts related to an attempted coup, receiving a sentence of 27 years and three months. He began serving that sentence in late November 2025 after the court ruled all appeals exhausted.

Lula, the current president seeking reelection, finished the first round behind Flávio — a reversal of the dynamics from 2022, when the PT candidate led throughout before winning a tight second round against Jair Bolsonaro.

Nearly One Million Brazilians Abroad Follow Brasília's Clock

According to TSE data, 918,876 Brazilians registered in 134 countries are eligible to vote today, making this the largest overseas electorate in the country's electoral history. The figure represents a 358% increase since 2010, when approximately 200,000 Brazilians abroad were registered to vote. Like their counterparts at home, they follow the same 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Brasília window and cast ballots exclusively for president and vice president.

The United States holds the largest overseas Brazilian electorate with 265,400 registered voters, followed by Portugal with 134,700 and Japan with 88,300. Canada and Germany round out the top five, with 46,400 and 41,500 voters respectively. Voting opens first in Oceania, then moves through Asia — including Japan — before reaching Europe and the Americas, all synchronized to the same Brasília close.

The Narrow First-Round Margin That Sent Brazil to a Runoff

With 99.99% of voting machines tallied after the October 4 first round, official TSE results gave Flávio Bolsonaro 56,104,503 votes — 47.03% of valid ballots — against Lula's 53,879,538 votes, or 45.16%. Neither cleared the 50%-plus-one threshold required for a first-round victory, sending the two candidates to today's runoff. The gap of 1.87 percentage points is the narrowest margin entering a Brazilian presidential runoff since 2022, when Lula defeated Jair Bolsonaro by 1.8 points in that year's decisive vote.

A São Paulo city government attempt to ban political gatherings on Avenida Paulista on election days was overturned by the Tribunal Regional Eleitoral de São Paulo (TRE-SP), which upheld a Workers' Party-organized rally at the landmark avenue.

Five States and the Federal District Also Choosing Their Governors Today

Beyond the presidency, five Brazilian states and the Federal District — where no gubernatorial race was settled in the first round — are also resolving their executive leadership today. Voters in those jurisdictions face two choices on the ballot: one for the nation's top office and one for their state or district government. The six races span the country's North, Center-West, South, and Northeast regions, with Acre, Amazonas, the Federal District, Espírito Santo, and Tocantins all heading back to the polls alongside Rio Grande do Norte.

In Rio Grande do Norte, more than 2.6 million registered voters are choosing between Allyson Bezerra (União Brasil), who led the first round with 36.83%, and Cadu de Lula (PT), who finished at 36.21% — a difference of fewer than 16,000 votes, making it one of the tightest gubernatorial contests in the country.

Results for Brazil's next president will begin emerging after 5 p.m. Brasília time. This article will be updated as candidates confirm their votes and the first official counts arrive.