Brazil votes on Sunday, October 4, in the first round of a presidential election that has tightened sharply in its final stretch. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking another term, while Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has emerged as his main challenger in a field of 13 presidential candidates.
The election will decide much more than the presidency. Brazilians will also vote for members of Congress, state governors and state legislatures, making October 4 one of the biggest political events of the year in Latin America.
When does Brazil vote?
The first round takes place on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Voting is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time. Because Brazil spans several time zones, the electoral timetable is standardized so that polls close simultaneously under the national schedule.
For readers in Central European Summer Time, polls close at 10 p.m. CEST. Brazil’s electronic voting system means the national count can move quickly once voting ends, although the final pace depends on the transmission and totalization of results from across the country.
How is the president elected?
To win the presidency in the first round, a candidate must receive more than 50% of valid votes. Blank and null ballots are not counted toward that threshold.
If no candidate reaches an absolute majority, the two leading candidates advance to a runoff on October 25. Current polling has consistently suggested that a second round is possible, which makes both the first-round margin and the distribution of votes among smaller candidates important.
Where does the race stand?
The final week has shown a close contest between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro. A Datafolha survey published on October 1 put Lula at 42% and Bolsonaro at 38% in the first-round measure used by Votendi, while other late polls have also shown a competitive race.
Runoff polling has generally been even tighter. Reuters reported that several recent surveys placed the two candidates within or close to the margin of error in a hypothetical second round. That does not determine the outcome of Sunday’s vote, but it underlines how consequential the first-round result could be for the campaign that follows.
Votendi’s Brazil tracker will continue to separate first-round polling from runoff polling and preserve the full polling history rather than mixing the two measures.
What should we watch on election night?
The first number to watch is the share of voting sections that have been totalized. Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) publishes official results as the count progresses. Early percentages should be read together with the proportion of sections counted, because different regions can report at different speeds.
Three questions will matter most: whether either leading candidate comes close to the 50% threshold, the size of the gap between Lula and Bolsonaro, and how much of the vote goes to the remaining candidates. If the race goes to a runoff, the first-round map will provide the starting point for the next three weeks of campaigning.
Why this election matters beyond Brazil
Brazil is Latin America’s largest economy and one of the world’s largest democracies. The campaign has focused on living costs, public security, fiscal policy, social programmes and Brazil’s international positioning.
The contest also carries a strong political-family dimension. Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive presidential term, while Flávio Bolsonaro is campaigning as the son and political heir of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Their rivalry has made the election a test of two powerful political blocs that have shaped Brazilian politics for years.
What Votendi will track
Votendi will follow the final polling picture through election day and switch to official TSE results once counting begins. The Brazil tracker includes the polling average, individual surveys, the latest polls and the full historical chart.
During the count, the priority will be the official vote totals, the percentage of sections totalized and whether the election is mathematically heading to a runoff. Any projection or media call will be clearly distinguished from the official TSE count.
Sources: Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE); Reuters; Votendi polling database.
