see election dates and rules

The 2026 general elections will be held on October 4th, with a possible 2nd round on October 25th. The election will be contested under the rules approved by the (Superior Electoral Court) and on March 4including rules on advertising, candidate registration, campaign financing and the use of artificial intelligence.

The electoral calendar also sets the main milestones of the election. The deadline to obtain the title, transfer residence or review registration data is May 6th. The campaign officially begins on August 16, the date from which electoral propaganda on the streets and on the internet will be allowed.

WHO SHOULD PRESIDE THE TSE IN THE ELECTIONS

The court that will conduct the electoral process must be presided over by the minister current vice-president of the Court. The president is now the minister with a mandate as head of the TSE until August 25, 2026.

The court command follows a rotation system between the ministers of the STF (Superior Federal Court) who are part of the electoral Court. The president of the TSE plays a central role in conducting elections, coordinating administrative sessions, supervising the execution of the electoral calendar and institutionally representing the Electoral Court during the process.

Here is the composition of the court:

• Carmen Lucia — minister of the STF (appointed to the STF by (PT), in 2006).
• Kassio Nunes Brands — minister of the STF (appointed to the STF by (PL), em 2020).
• André Mendonça — minister of the STF (appointed to the STF by Jair Bolsonaro (PL), in 2021).
• Antonio Carlos Ferreira — minister of the STJ (law position; appointed to the STJ by (PT), in 2011).
• Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva — minister of the STJ (law position; appointed to the STJ in 2011, after nomination by the OAB).
• Floriano de Azevedo Marques Neto — lawyer (appointed by President Lula; chosen from a triple list of the STF).
• Estela Aranha — lawyer (appointed by President Lula; chosen from a triple list of the STF).

READ HOW THE OFFICIAL CALENDAR LOOKS LIKE

• 3.abr – End of the party window
• 4.abr – 6 months left until the 1st round;
• 6.abr – Last day for enlistment, transfer and review of electoral registration;
• May 6 – Deadline to request a voter registration card;
• 13.from to 15.from – TSE carries out confirmation tests of the voting machine technical teams;
• May 15 – Pre-candidates can start fundraising through crowdfunding;
• 16.jun – Deadline for the TSE to disclose the amount available in the Special Campaign Financing Fund (FEFC);
• 30.jun – Radio and TV stations are prohibited from broadcasting programs presented or commented on by pre-candidates;
• 4.jul – There are 3 months left until the 1st round and restrictions on public agents, such as appointments, hiring and inauguration of public works, will come into effect;
• 4.jul – Voters with disabilities can request a temporary section transfer;
• 20.jul a 5.ago – Party conventions for choosing candidates;
• 20.jul a 20.ago – Deadline for registering candidacies at the Electoral Court;
• 4.ago – Radio and TV stations are prohibited from showing programs that favor candidates or manipulate electoral data;
• 16.ago – Official start of the electoral campaign;
• 28.ago – Election hours also begin on radio and TV for the 1st round;
• Until September 14 – Electoral Court seals electoral systems; voters with disabilities can request special transportation;
• 29.set – Voters can no longer be arrested or detained, except in the act or in cases provided for by law;
• 4.out – 1st round of elections;
• 3.out – TSE checks totalization systems; transport of weapons and ammunition is prohibited during the voting period;
• 9.out a 23.out – Free electoral propaganda for the 2nd round;
• 10.out – Voters cannot now be arrested or detained, except for legal exceptions;
• 24.out – Verification ceremony of voter data totalization and reception systems;
• 24.out a 26.out – It is prohibited to carry weapons and ammunition in the country;
• 25.out – 2nd round of elections;
• 5.nov – Applications for enlistment, transfer and electoral review suspended;
• 3.dez – Deadline to justify absence in the 1st shift;
• 18.dez – Diploma of those elected by the TSE;
• 5.jan.2027 – Inauguration of the elected president;
• 6.jan.2027 – Inauguration of elected governors;
• 6.jan.2027 – Deadline to justify absence in the 2nd shift.

HOW ELECTORAL TIMETABLES WORK

In the 2026 general elections, the election schedule on radio and TV will follow the calendar defined by the TSE for the 1st round campaign and, if necessary, the 2nd round. Although the legislation exempts parties from paying for broadcasting, this does not mean that advertising is effectively free: the space provided by broadcasters is compensated with tax deductions, a mechanism that transforms the electoral benefit into a waiver of Union revenue. In 2022, this value was estimated by the Federal Revenue Service at R$992 million.

• 1st round: electoral advertising on radio and TV from August 28 to October 1, 2026, before the vote scheduled for October 4;
• 2nd round: if any, electoral propaganda from October 9th to 23rd, 2026.

READ THE TSE RESOLUTIONS

• electoral polls: TSE reinforced the requirements to increase transparency and facilitate the checking of electoral polls on 2 points: technical responsibility of the company and the statistician and a stricter territorial cut, with geographic delimitation that follows the official political-administrative division or justification for less detailed cuts. Here’s the (PDF – 66 kB);
• general acts of the electoral process: It is the main standard for election day and consolidates operational procedures with adjustments from previous elections. It provides for prior consultation in the aggregation of sections in indigenous and quilombola territories, authorizes the dismissal of poll workers as a protective measure and organizes the transport of voters, including in border areas. Maintains that anyone who turns 16 years old can vote by October 4, 2026. Here is the (PDF – 436 kB);
• electoral systems: the resolution on electoral systems brings together rules for preparation, auditing and use of election technologies, such as totalization, transmission and integrity verification. Maintains public security testing, audits, and pre- and post-voting verification stages to reinforce transparency and traceability. Here’s the (PDF – 73 kB);
• accountability: the Court ruled that expenses for protection against violence They are not included in the candidate’s spending limit. Maintains affirmative actions for women, adjusts the minimum wage for black women to 30% and includes indigenous candidates in the distribution of public resources from the FEFC. Here’s the (PDF – 129 kB);
• Special Campaign Financing Fund (FEFC): the main change is in the distribution of resources, with operational centralization. SOF (Secretariat of Planning, Budget, Finance and Accounting) starts to carry out technical control of the transfer to national directories. The measure standardizes the execution of the Electoral Fund and seeks to avoid duplication of rules and steps. Here’s the (PDF – 60 kB);
• special transport for voters with disabilities or reduced mobility: created the program “Your Vote Matters”, with free individual transport on election day for voters with disabilities or reduced mobility without their own means of transportation. The standard defines guidelines for the Electoral Court to organize routes and logistics with local authorities to expand access to voting. Here is the (PDF – 60 kB);
• electoral registration operational schedule for the election: the electoral registration schedule was approved, with dates for enlistment, transfer, review and regularization. The deadline to request services is May 6, 2026, before registration closes. Here’s the (PDF – 60kB).
• application registration: establishes that it does not count as “mandate” for re-election purposes the period in which someone assumes or resumes leadership of the Executive (mayor, governor or president) in the 6 months before the election by judicial decision without final and unappealable judgment, in accordance with the understanding of the STF in. Let’s go (PDF – 99 kB);
• electoral propaganda: prohibits artificial intelligence systems and determines that content altered by AI cannot be circulated 72 hours before and 24 hours after voting. Here’s the (PDF – 99 kB);
• representations and complaints: extends the time for carrying out ordinary communications and replaces the term complaint with administrative complaint. Here’s the (PDF – 89 kB);
• electoral offenses: prohibits the use of synthetic content and in violation of electoral rules. Furthermore, it extends to black and indigenous people the protective rule for distributing public resources intended for women’s candidacies. Here’s the (PDF – 89 kB);
• audit and inspection: determines tests with biometrics and the obligation to immediately publish the list of audited ballot boxes on the internet. Here’s the (PDF – 77 kB);
• consolidation of standards aimed at citizens: establishes the creation of the “Citizenship Statute”compiled with information on permitted types of advertising and a reading calendar. Here’s the (PDF – 295 kB);
• electoral calendar: organizes the acts of the electoral process in chronological order to “strengthen the principles of legality, publicity and administrative efficiency”. Let’s go (PDF – 463 kB).

This report was produced by Journalism trainee Thiago Annunziato under the supervision of reporter Hadass Leventhal.

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