'Programmed' ballot boxes and other lies that surrounded the elections

As expected, the presidential election in Brazil - which will have a second round between Lula (PT) and Bolsonaro (PL) on October 30 - was taken over by misinformation on the internet. Votes in prisons, use of the banned national team t-shirt and other fake electoral news went viral. Check out some of the rumors that were debunked by fact-checkers.

Posted by

João Caminoto

October 3, 2022 21:35 AM

Denying fake news:

Did the electoral authorities reduce the number of electronic voting machines for Brazilian voters abroad and increase them in prisons? NO!

Were voters able to wear the Seleção shirt, favored by ultra-right president Jair Bolsonaro, at the voting centers? SIM.

A Agência Aos Fatos listed all the election lies spread between the 1st and 2nd of October via social networks and messaging applications, checked and denied.

At the top 5 viral fake news about elections made by Boatos.org from the Metrópoles portal, are:

Ipec survey in Jornal Nacional shows Bolsonaro ahead of Lula with 46%
Lula diz que enfermeiros só servem para servir sopa e se posicionou contra piso salarial
Chile is in civil war with buildings, trains and cars set on fire because of Gabriel Boric
Lula received a sheet with answers from Globo in an interview with Jornal Nacional
New voter registration cards come with QR Code that transfers votes to Lula

Below, check out other highlights of misinformation spread on the 2nd, first round of elections:

Vote in prisons

A message on social media that went viral on the eve of Sunday's vote (2) – in which Bolsonaro contradicted predictions and came in second place closer to PT candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – spread the following misinformation:

“TSE reduces the number of ballot boxes for Brazilians living abroad and expands them in prisons. The conclusion is up to you!” – LIE!

According to a 2010 law, Brazilian penitentiaries receive ballot boxes for prisoners eligible to vote. On Sunday (2), fewer ballot boxes were sent to prisons than in the last general elections in 2018: 222, compared to 233 (four years ago), according to the TSE.

The number of ballot boxes allocated to voters abroad passed on of 744 to 1.018 in this period.

“Programmed” ballot boxes

Another rumor that went viral before the first round misinformed that three electronic voting machines were “programmed with at least 81% of votes for Lula” in the city of Serafina Correia, in Rio Grande do Sul. “It is a blow against Bolsonaro and a crime against his followers,” said the message, which cited a local radio station as a source.

A photo accompanying the publication showed police inspecting a TSE vehicle with cardboard boxes, each identified as an “electronic voting machine” – LIE!

A survey revealed that these images are actually from a routine vehicle control in Amazonas in 2018. The police stated at the time that they found no irregularities. Local radio cited as source denied the version.

Lost votes

A video widely shared on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Telegram and TikTok highlighted a new function in electronic voting machines, used in the country since 1996.

Once voters selected their candidate, a window invited them to review their choice before pressing the green, “Confirm” button.

“That didn’t exist before. Now, you typed a number into the ballot box, and it appears like this at the bottom: 'check your vote' flashing, won't you read it, confirm? And you won't press confirm? It gives the impression that this is done to confuse, to make people lose their vote”, said a man in the video – LIE !!

Both the TSE and the AFP's independent reviews state that the rumor is false.

“Rules” for voting

Em a country with more cell phones than people, misinformation also circulated fiercely on voting day. ((CNN)

A post on social media stated that “for the first time”, those who were in line at the time of closing at 17pm local time were able to vote. In fact, this is nothing new: has been part of Brazilian electoral legislation since 1965.

Other publications reported supposed “rules” for voting, all false:

Anyone wearing a mask could not vote – False!
Wearing the national team t-shirt would be prohibited – False!
If you voted only for president and not for other candidates, your vote would be annulled – False!
As zonas eleitorais fechariam às 16h em todo o país – False!

Curto Curatorship

Who were the deputies and senators elected in 2022?

With the first round of this year's elections over, the Legislative Branch already has new names for 2023. The PL, President Jair Bolsonaro's party, elected a record number of benches for the National Congress, with 99 new deputies. The PT federation came next, with 79 of them. The Centrão parties obtained 235 seats.

This post was last modified on January 3, 2023 14:56 pm

João Caminoto

Journalist with more than 30 years of experience, I held various positions - from reporter to international correspondent to editorial director - in several publications, such as Estadão, Broadcast, Época, BBC, Veja and Folha. I feel privileged to have embraced this profession. I am in love with my family and Corinthians.