New book examines the history of voting and democracy in Brazil

The book ‘Pela Mão do Povo: Voto e Democracia no Brasil’, organized by Supreme Federal Court Minister Cármen Lúcia Antunes Rocha and historians Heloísa Starling and Nayara Corrêa Henriques Pinto, provides a historical analysis of suffrage in Brazil. The work, featuring research from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), traces the evolution of voting rights from the Empire through the Republic, the 1930s electoral reforms, the 1946 Constitution, the military regime, and the New Republic.

In addition to legal history, the book explores the evolution of voting methods, from paper ballots to electronic voting machines, and the role of jingles in electoral campaigns. Cármen Lúcia provides an introduction and conclusion that contextualize the history of voting from ancient Greece to the present, arguing that while representative democracy is a recent phenomenon, the human desire for equal and just freedoms remains constant.

Complementary data regarding Brazilian electoral participation highlights ongoing challenges in gender and racial representation. Despite the recognition of women's suffrage in 1932, recent electoral data shows women accounted for 34.8% of candidacies, a marginal increase from 2022. The data also indicates significant disparities in resources and opportunities for Black and mixed-race women compared to the broader candidate pool.