30% say they vote for a candidate to prevent another from being elected, according to Datafolha

61% say they will vote for the chosen one because they believe he has the best proposals and is the most prepared. 7% gave other answers to the stimulated question. They don't know 2%.

The survey was carried out between Tuesday (18) and Wednesday (19), with 2,058 interviews in Brazil, distributed in 128 municipalities, with a population aged 16 or over. The maximum margin of error for the total sample is two percentage points, plus or minus, within the 95% confidence level. The research is registered with the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) under number BR-04496/2026 and was commissioned by TV Globo and Folha.

Among voters of President Lula (PT), who leads voting intentions, 23% say that the main objective is to defeat another candidate. In this segment, the margin of error is three percentage points. 68% of voters who said they would vote for him would do so because they believed he had the best proposals. 8% gave other answers, and 1% did not know how to answer.

When only Flávio Bolsonaro's (PL) electorate is taken into account, the rate of those who want to defeat another candidate is 35%. The margin of error is four percentage points.

In the case of Flávio Bolsonaro, 56% said they would vote for him as they considered him the most prepared, 7% gave other answers and 2% did not know.

The objective of preventing another candidate from being elected is numerically greater among voters who chose Romeu Zema (Novo), with 37% of them saying they would vote for Minas Gerais for this reason. The margin of error based on Zema's answers, however, is 13 percentage points

The rate for Ronaldo Caiado, PSD presidential candidate, is also numerically above 30%, with 31% of voters voting for Goiás to prevent someone else from being elected. In this case, the margin of error is nine percentage points.

Renan Santos, from Missão, would be voted for this reason by 24% of voters, with a margin of error of 12 percentage points.

Overall, the high rate of those who say they vote for a competitor to prevent another from being elected suggests a reflection of the polarization between Lula and right-wing candidates, who oppose the PT candidate.

While Flávio, Jair Bolsonaro's firstborn, is sold by the PL campaign as the main option for those opposed to Lula, other candidates from this political camp try to signal to voters that they are also a viable measure to avoid the re-election of the PT member.

Ronaldo Caiado, for example, has told voters that he is "root right" and highlighted his history against the left since he founded, in 1985, the UDR (União Democrática Ruralista), an entity defending rural property.

Lula, without any major competitors on the left, is identified by part of the electorate as the one who can prevent the Bolsonaros from returning to power, even through Flávio, since former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) is under house arrest for having attempted a coup d'état and remains ineligible.

VOTE DECISION

Datafolha also questioned interviewees about the decision on the vote for president. 72% of those interviewed said they were completely determined about their vote. Another 27% said their vote could still change. I didn't know how to answer 1%.

Among Lula's voters, 82% are completely decided. Among Flávio Bolsonaro voters, 78% gave this answer.

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