BRASILIA (Oct. 5, 2022) — The Carter Center commends the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and Brazilian voters and electoral stakeholders for the successful general election held on Oct. 2.
The Carter Center’s six-person team of international election experts will continue its assessment through the Oct. 30 runoff. The mission is focused on several key issues related to the functioning and transparency of the voting technology systems, disinformation about the use of those systems, and the legal framework governing the use of voting technology. Because of this limited scope, the Center will not provide an overall assessment of voting or counting processes, nor make a comprehensive assessment of the election as a whole.
Throughout the process, the TSE has provided parties and other stakeholders with high levels of access to key information about the electronic voting system and the legal guarantees in place for the election. The Electoral Transparency Commission, which includes a variety of political actors, oversight institutions, and civil society representatives, is one of the latest efforts in this regard. In addition, the TSE provided opportunities for multiple entities to audit the voting system — which is the same system that will be used in the runoff — and gain a clear understanding of how it works. The Carter Center mission analyzed the reports of these audits and met with many of the technical experts involved.
On election day, Carter Center experts visited three locations — in Brasilia, Curitiba, and Rio de Janeiro — to observe the TSE’s voting machine integrity tests, which for the first time included the use of biometrics.
While the Center did not deploy observers around the country to systematically observe the voting and counting processes, election observation missions organized by Brazilian and international observers reported that the election was well-organized and conducted with timeliness and transparency, including in publishing final results.
Unfortunately, this election cycle has been plagued by disinformation, which has undermined the country’s longstanding trust in the voting system. As part of its mission, the Center is analyzing the TSE’s response to the threats of disinformation, as well as the responses by social media platforms and civil society organizations. It commends the TSE for developing a program to confront disinformation.
As attention turns to the runoff, the Center calls on all stakeholders to maintain a peaceful environment.
The Carter Center team, made up of experts from Argentina, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the United States, conducts its election missions in accordance with the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. The expert mission will issue a final report with recommendations after the conclusion of the electoral process.
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Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org
In Brasilia, Nicolas Bravo, nicolas.bravo@cartercenter.org
Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.
A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
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