Brazil elderly voter abstention drops nearly 10% in 2026 elections

Abstention rates among Brazilian voters aged 70 and older decreased by nearly 10 percentage points during the first round of the 2026 elections. According to data from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) compiled by the non-partisan Movimento Voto 70+, the percentage of non-voting seniors dropped from approximately 58.8% in 2022 to 49.1% in the first round of the current election cycle.

This decline occurred despite a significant expansion of the elderly electorate, which grew from 14.9 million in 2022 to 17.2 million in 2026. Overall, the general voter abstention rate for 2026 was approximately 21.08%, representing 33 million eligible Brazilians who did not vote.

Cléa Klouri, founder of Movimento Voto 70+, attributed the increase in participation to initiatives such as moving polling stations to more accessible locations and the ‘Vovó Vota’ campaign. Additionally, voting serves as an automatic ‘proof of life’ for retirees and social program beneficiaries through the INSS. Under Brazilian law, voters aged 80 and older are granted priority in polling station lines.