World
Brazil's top court extends voting hours mid-election, creating confusion with polls already closed
Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin extended voting by two hours following requests from presidential campaigns, but the decision came after many polling stations had already shut down.
The coalition backing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the campaign of Flávio Bolsonaro each filed separate requests with the Superior Electoral Court and the Supreme Court to extend voting hours in the second round of the 2026 presidential election, held this Sunday. The PT-led coalition, which also includes the PCdoB and PV, sought the extension in municipalities across at least nine states—São Paulo, Alagoas, Pernambuco, Roraima, Piauí, Paraíba, Pará, Paraná and Rio de Janeiro—citing public transport shortages that made it difficult for voters to reach polling stations. Bolsonaro's campaign requested the extension in Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul, citing severe rain affecting those regions.
Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin decided to extend voting until 7 p.m. nationwide, an unprecedented decision in Brazilian history. The order was announced around 5 p.m., by which time many polling stations had already closed according to the original schedule.
The extension caused widespread confusion. In Mato Grosso do Sul, polling stations had already been shut down, voting tallies had been issued, and results delivered to regional courts—a process that cannot be reversed—so voting was not resumed despite the Supreme Court's decision. In Ceará, several polling stations in Fortaleza closed their doors promptly at 5 p.m. at the exact moment the extension order was announced, leaving voters outside.
Brazilian artists including Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Sophie Charlotte and Camila Pitanga posted videos on social media during the day, accusing the mayors of São Paulo and Salvador of reducing bus fleets during the second round and urging an extension of voting hours to allow voters access to the polls.
An electoral law professor at FGV, Fernando Neisser, said the time extension could prompt a request to annul the second round, given that the decision came after some polling stations were already closed. Eduardo Bolsonaro and allies criticized Zanin's decision shortly before vote tallying began. According to one account, at least one polling station reopened following the order.