They harbored suspicions of fraud involving small and medium-sized municipalities in several states across the country, in a possible scheme that has so far been barely visible in the list of electoral malfeasance: the purchase of mass votes through the collective and illegal transfer of voter registration cards between one city and another.
A Sheet mapped in recent months the arrests, operations and investigations that spread across the country as a result of block transfers of electoral domicile, which in some cities may have been decisive for the fraudulent election of mayors and councilors.
Data collected by Sheet in the (Superior Electoral Court) show that 82 municipalities — the majority of them with less than 10 thousand inhabitants — saw their electorate grow between 20% and 46% just with the transfer of titles from other cities.
Due to this, 58 of these cities experience the unusual situation of having more formal voters than the resident population.
Considering the municipalities with a 15% increase in voters with title transfers, the number of cities rises to 229.
An exemplary case occurred in Fernão, 400 km from São Paulo. The small town has 1,656 residents, according to the 2022 Census, which includes children and teenagers who don’t vote. The official electorate, however, is larger than the entire population, 1,754, thanks to a 17% increase from the transfer of titles alone.
Candidate Bill, from PL, was elected mayor with a difference of just 1 vote in relation to the current head of the Executive, Zé Fodra (PSD). There were 522 votes to 521.
Bill, whose name is Eber Rogério Assis, is the target of the Public Ministry precisely on the accusation of having fraudulently sponsored the transfer of more than 60 voters from other cities to Fernão.
The Electoral Prosecutor’s Office took action to prevent his inauguration and, judge Felipe Guinsani suspended the diploma injunctively.
According to the judge, the elected official, who is a councilor and veterinarian at the Casa da Agricultura de Fernão, “promoted a true regimentation of voters, providing them with facilities for the fraudulent transfer of electoral titles”.
“This occurred in a small municipality, with only 1,754 voters able to vote, which demonstrates the potential of the conduct to influence the outcome of the elections.”
The injunction was revoked days later by the Regional Electoral Court (TRE) of São Paulo on the grounds that the right to full defense was necessary.
A Sheet contacted Bill’s defense, but there was no response. On social media, he said that he is the target of unfounded and unfair accusations.
Another case occurred in Divino das Laranjeiras, in the east of Minas Gerais. The city has 4,178 inhabitants, according to the 2022 Census, having shrunk 15.4% compared to the previous survey. In the case of the official electorate, however, the opposite occurred: a growth of 15.6%, reaching 4,968 people.
The TRE of Minas Gerais reported that there are secret judicial processes regarding the recruitment of voters for the city.
Three days before the election, the Public Ministry filed a request to cancel the transfer of 38 voters. “The challenged parties were involved in a cunning plot in which interposed people, with the clear purpose of circumventing the electoral system, co-opted voters”, wrote electoral prosecutor Mariana Cristina Pereira Melo, without mentioning the name of the candidate.
The following morning, October 4, the Federal Police launched Operation Suffrage, stating that the scheme involved the transfer of around a thousand titles. On the same day, the court canceled the registration of only three voters who confessed to fraud. The rest were able to vote.
In Divino, Reinaldo Romualdo dos Santos (MDB) beat Emanuel Antonio Siqueira (Republicans) by 268 votes.
Another case occurred in Elesbão Veloso, a city in Piauí that also saw its population shrink by 6% from 2010 to 2022, but the official electorate increase by 8% — yet another example in which the number of voters exceeded the number of inhabitants.
In May, the Court canceled seven transfers of voters who presented false electricity bills as proof of residence.
In August, the PF launched Operation Águas Rasas due to suspected fraud in 126 title transfers to the city, all using false receipts, some issued by the state’s water and sewage company. According to the police, the person suspected of producing the documents was a public servant and candidate for councilor.
In the city, Ronaldo Barbosa (PP) defeated Dr. Cleriston (PT) by a difference of 712 votes.
The state with the largest number of cities that increased the number of people eligible to vote by more than 20% is Goiás. There were 19, including Guarinos, the champion in growth (46%), and Davinópolis, where the official electorate (4,405 ) is more than twice the size of the entire population counted by IBGE.
The TRE of Goiás said, in a statement, that there are investigations by the Civil Police in Aragoiânia and the Federal Police in Santo Antonio do Descoberto. There were also requests for review of the electorate in some municipalities, but they were denied due to lack of evidence of irregularities.
The body also stated that the review of the electorate based on statistical distortions (more voters than residents, for example) is the exclusive responsibility of the TSE — which was contacted by the report, but did not comment.
In addition to the lawsuits, voters in several states were caught in the act trying to transfer their title with false documentation. In Correntina (BA), for example, the region’s electoral judge called the police in April after two people allegedly tried to promote fraud at the electoral registry.
In November, , from TV Globo, showed signs that there was an illegal voter market in Mangaratiba, a resort in Rio de Janeiro that also gained thousands of new voters.
To transfer their voting location, the voter must prove residential, emotional, family, professional, community or other ties with the new city. When fraud occurs, it is generally covered by articles 289 and 290 of the Electoral Code, with penalties of 2 to 5 years in prison plus a fine.
Suspected voter transfer fraud
What is the suspicion
The Federal Court and the Federal Police are investigating the block transfers of voting domiciles of voters in small and medium-sized cities, which may have been decisive for the election of mayors and councilors.
Examples investigated
In Fernão, 400 km from São Paulo, candidate Bill (PL) was elected mayor with a difference of just 1 vote in relation to Zé Fodra (PSD): 522 votes to 521. The city’s official electorate grew 17% just with the transfer of titles, which meant that the number of eligible voters was greater than the total number of residents.
Another case occurred in Divino das Laranjeiras, in the south of Minas Gerais. The city has 4,178 inhabitants, according to the 2022 Census, having shrunk by 15.4% compared to the previous survey in 2010. In the case of the official electorate, however, the opposite occurred: a growth of 15.6% compared to the previous election , reaching 4,968 people.
What would fraud look like?
To transfer their voting location, the voter must prove residential, emotional, family, professional or community ties with the new city. According to investigations, there is evidence of the use of electricity, water and sewage bills as false proof of residence issued by public servants.
What is the punishment for voters
If irregularities are proven, voters may be subject to articles 289 and 290 of the Electoral Code, with penalties of 2 to 5 years in prison plus a fine.
