In the 2026 elections, which take place in October, Brazilians will vote for . For this last position, find out what their functions are and how they work.
State deputies are responsible for creating, modifying and voting on laws that are valid within each state. They also have the role of monitoring the governor’s actions and representing the interests of the population in the Legislative Assemblies. The number of parliamentarians varies according to the federation unit — in São Paulo, for example, there are 94 elected deputies.
With a four-year mandate, the state deputy takes demands from the region that elected him to government bodies and to the plenary of the Assembly. Among the responsibilities is the presentation of bills and analysis of proposals sent by other parliamentarians, the government or other bodies, such as the Judiciary, Public Ministry and Court of Auditors. They also analyze projects sent by citizens.
It is also up to the state deputy to suggest the allocation of resources from the state budget to municipalities.
The supervisory function is one of the main activities of the position. Parliamentarians annually evaluate the governor’s accounts, monitor budget execution and examine contracts and public administration actions. During the term of office, the deputy has free access to public offices and can also carry out inquiries in direct and indirect administration bodies.
On a daily basis, deputies participate in plenary sessions and permanent and temporary committees, where they discuss and analyze bills, legislative decrees, resolutions and proposed amendments to the State Constitution. They can also propose the creation of CPIs (Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry) to investigate facts of public interest.
The mandate may be lost in the case of repeated absences — such as absence from one third of ordinary sessions, except for authorized leaves or missions — or due to breach of parliamentary decorum, abuse of the prerogatives of the position or receipt of undue advantages.
How are they elected?
State deputies are elected by proportional vote, that is, it is not enough to be one of the most voted individually. The result considers the votes received by the parties and the number of seats won by each party in the Legislative Assemblies. At the end of the four-year term, parliamentarians can run for re-election.
