Electronic ballot box Reproduction/TRE-RN When voting, voters can choose a candidate, vote blank or cancel their vote. Despite being different options, the blank vote and the invalid vote have the same effect on the election result: neither is considered a valid vote and, therefore, is not included in the count that defines the elected candidates. According to electoral law expert Bruno Andrade, the legislation makes a distinction between valid votes and votes that are not used in the count. "Since the Constitution of 88, we have differentiated between usable votes and unusable votes. So a blank and invalid vote is legally unusable. So we don't take it into consideration for any purpose in the election currently", he explained. ? Join the g1 AM channel on WhatsApp
Blank and invalid votes do not annul the election; understand the difference and how they influence the result
Electronic ballot box Reproduction/TRE-RN When voting, voters can choose a candidate, vote blank or cancel their vote. Despite being different options, the blank vote and the invalid vote have the same effect on the...
Null vote does not cancel the election No. Even if the majority of voters cast a blank vote or annul their vote, the election is not annulled. The judicial analyst at the Regional Electoral Court of Roraima (TRE-RR), Adnan Youssef, explains that only valid votes are used to define the winner. "In the situation, we have 10 thousand voters and out of 9,990 they voted blank and invalid. Well, there are 10 valid votes left. Whoever has 50% of these valid votes, which is 5 votes and one more, will be elected. The election is not annulled", he said. In practice, the result is defined only by voters who choose a candidate. Blank votes and invalid votes are left out of this count. Does voting blank or canceling the vote change the result? For political scientists, voting blank or canceling a vote can be a way of expressing dissatisfaction with the candidates or the political scenario. However, this decision does not change the calculation that defines those elected. It's like voting to decide the destination of a trip: the chosen location will be the one that receives the most votes among the available options. Those who prefer not to choose do not participate in the decision. Political scientist Gabriela Rollemberg states that failing to choose a candidate leaves the decision in the hands of those who voted and emphasizes that voter participation does not end at the polls. "Those who don't choose end up letting others choose for themselves and this has an impact on their lives. So, in fact, it is very important for us to give this relevance to the vote, to be aware of who we are going to vote for and demand later, right? It's not just the moment of the vote that is important, it is very important that we have this participation throughout the term, demanding that person to, in fact, understand if they are fulfilling what they promised, if they are, in fact, respecting their government plan. Finally, actually demonstrating during these four years", he stated.
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