Brazil: Small municipalities show higher electoral participation

Smaller, less urbanized municipalities in Brazil exhibit higher levels of party-electoral participation compared to larger cities. According to the IPar-Eleitoral index released by Observatório Participa, based on 2024 data from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), civic engagement is measured through voter turnout, voluntary registration of 16 and 17-year-olds, and political party affiliation.

In most Brazilian municipalities, voter turnout ranges between 80% and 90%. Party affiliation typically accounts for 10% to 20% of the electorate, while voluntary registration among young citizens varies between 5% and 15%. The study indicates that more populous and urbanized areas, such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, record significantly lower participation levels, with scores of 10.6 and 6.0 respectively.

Regionally, the North shows the highest average participation, while the Southeast region reports indices considerably below the national average. The highest scores were recorded in small towns like Oliveira de Fátima (TO) and Grupiara (MG).