Brazil’s elections and government structure might seem complex at first, but it becomes clearer with a quick rundown. There are three levels—federal, state, and municipal—with each level handling specific responsibilities. Voting is mandatory for most, and the election system includes two rounds to make sure the winners have solid support. Plus, Brazil uses electronic voting machines, which means results come in fast. Whether you’re traveling to Brazil or just curious, here’s the basics of how it all works and some elections vocabulary in Portuguese.
Brazil’s political system is a federal presidential republic with three branches of government, similar to the structure in the United States. Each branch has a distinct role, ensuring checks and balances within the government.
Here’s an overview of each branch and key vocabulary.
Executive Branch (Poder Executivo)
The Executive Branch (Poder Executivo) is responsible for managing the country and carrying out the laws. This branch is represented by leaders who handle government and administrative functions at different levels:
- The President (Presidente) at the national, or federal, level;
- The Governors (Governadores) at the state level;
- The Mayors (Prefeitos) at the city, or municipal, level.
The President, as well as governors and mayors, is elected every four years and can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. However, after sitting out for one term, they may run for office again.
In addition to the President, at the federal level this branch includes the Vice President (Vice-presidente) and appointed Ministers (Ministros) who lead various government departments. In the U.S., the equivalent of a Ministro in Brazil would be a Secretary in the President’s Cabinet, such as the Secretary of State or Secretary of Defense.
At the state level in Brazil, we have State Secretaries (Secretários Estaduais), and at the municipal level, Municipal Secretaries (Secretários Municipais) support governors and mayors in their respective areas.
Legislative Branch (Poder Legislativo)
The Legislative Branch (Poder Legislativo) creates laws and oversees government actions.
It is a bicameral system at the federal level, made up of two houses: the Federal Senate (Senado Federal) and the Chamber of Deputies (Câmara dos Deputados).
At the state level, we have State Deputies (Deputados Estaduais), similar to state legislators in the U.S., who serve in the Legislative Assemblies (Assembleias Legislativas) of each state.
At the municipal level, there are City Councilors (Vereadores), who represent their communities within City Councils (Câmaras Municipais), similar to city council members in the U.S.
The head of the Senate is the President of the Senate (Presidente do Senado), and the head of the Chamber of Deputies is the President of the Chamber of Deputies (Presidente da Câmara dos Deputados).
Senators (Senadores) represent each state and serve eight-year terms, while Deputies (Deputados) represent citizens in the Chamber of Deputies and serve four-year terms.
Judicial Branch (Poder Judiciário)
The Judicial Branch (Poder Judiciário) interprets laws, resolves legal disputes, and ensures that laws align with Brazil’s Constitution (Constituição).
The highest court is the Federal Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal, STF), which reviews cases involving constitutional matters.
The head of the Judicial Branch is the President of the Federal Supreme Court (Presidente do Supremo Tribunal Federal).
Other major courts include the Superior Court of Justice (Superior Tribunal de Justiça, STJ) and regional federal courts (Tribunais Regionais Federais).
Together, these three branches—Poder Executivo, Poder Legislativo, and Poder Judiciário—work to balance power and maintain democracy in Brazil, each contributing to the governance and legal stability of the country.
Source: Federal Government Transparency Portal
🗳️ Mandatory Voting & Age Requirement
In Brazil, voting isn’t just a choice. Starting at age 18, all citizens are required to vote, while it’s voluntary for those aged 16-17 and over 70. Every election year, millions of Brazilians make their voices heard.
🗳️ Two-Round Voting System
Brazilian elections often have two rounds to secure a clear majority. If no candidate wins over 50% of the votes in the first round, the top two face off in a second round. This unique system applies to key roles, including presidents, governors, and mayors.
🗳️Urna Eletrônica (electronic voting machine)
In Brazil, electronic voting machines, or urnas eletrônicas, have made the electoral process faster, more secure, and highly efficient.
These machines revolutionized voting, giving citizens a seamless way to participate in democracy.
Curious about how they work? 🤔
Voters simply select their candidate on a user-friendly screen, accessible to all age groups.
Once the polls close, votes are encrypted, calculated, and transmitted almost instantly, allowing us to know the results on the very same day!
Security is paramount: multiple layers of protection, from encryption to audit trails, guard the integrity of each vote.
Each machine even produces a paper trail, adding an extra layer of verification and trust.
Thanks to the urnas eletrônicas, Brazil leads with one of the most efficient voting systems globally, ensuring that every vote counts 🇧🇷✨
What are your thoughts on electronic voting? Do you find it reliable? Let me know!
Essential Election Vocabulary in Portuguese
Below is some essential election vocabulary in Portuguese.
The words are in alphabetical order, with the Portuguese term first, followed by the English translation.
Feminine words are marked with (f), masculine words with (m), and words that can be either use articles to indicate gender.
💡Preposition alert
We use different prepositions in Portuguese and in English to talk about voting for someone. In Portuguese, we vote “on” someone:
- Em quem você vai votar? – Who are you going to vote for?
- Eu votei em Margarete. – I voted for Margarete.
Here is the vocabulary list and an audio file where you can hear the pronunciation of these words:
- Abstenção (f) – abstention
- Apuração de votos (f) – vote count
- Boletim de urna (m) – ballot report
- Campanha eleitoral (f) – election campaign
- o Candidato / a Candidata – candidate
- Cédula (f) – ballot
- Coligação (f) – coalition
- o Eleitor / a Eleitora – voter
- o/a Fiscal de votação – poll watcher
- Justiça eleitoral (f) – electoral justice
- Mandato (m) – term of office
- Partido político (m) – political party
- Pleito eleitoral (m) – election process
- Primeiro turno (m) – first round
- Reeleição (f) – re-election
- Seção eleitoral (f) – polling station
- Segundo turno (m) – second round
- Título de eleitor (m) – voter registration card
- Tomar posse – to be inaugurated / to take office
- Urna (f) – ballot box
- Urna eletrônica (f) – electronic voting machine
- Votar – to vote
- Voto facultativo (m) – optional voting
- Voto obrigatório (m) – mandatory voting
- Zona eleitoral (f) – electoral district
Grammar Doesn’t Have To Be Scary!
Grammar is in everything we say, but learning it organically without structure – trusting that you will absorb it naturally – can take a long time.
And when it comes to prepositions, it gets even more complex since we often use different prepositions to express the same idea in Portuguese and in your native language, like in the example above with the verb “votar.”
This is why I created the Bootcamp de Verbos e Preposições 🇧🇷
- Get focused practice and learn to use 25 verb-preposition combos correctly.
- Learn grammar in context: this is a story-based course.
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- Learn at your pace with lifetime access to the course.
- Ask questions in our private course community – you are not alone in this journey!
Learn more about the Bootcamp de Verbos e Preposições here. Seu português merece 🇧🇷🤩
