Brazil Proposes Mixed District Voting System for Upcoming Elections

Deputy Domingos Neto (PSD-CE) introduced a significant proposal to reform Brazil's electoral system by implementing a mixed district voting system. The legislative change aims to shift from the current proportional model to a mixed district system, with a targeted rollout beginning with the 2032 municipal elections and extending to the 2034 general elections. Discussions are ongoing regarding transitional provisions for the 2030 elections.

Under this new system, each voter would cast a single vote that applies to electing candidates both from electoral districts and party lists, replacing a prior double-vote approach established in 2017. This change, presented as a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC), includes detailed measures to prevent manipulation of electoral district boundaries. For instance, district populations must not deviate more than 5-10% from the average, and districting must respect municipal borders to avoid gerrymandering.

The reform will affect the Federal Chamber, state assemblies, and city councils but will exclude the Senate, which will maintain its majoritarian voting system. Notably, the mixed district system will only be applicable in municipalities with over 200,000 voters, currently numbering 103, while smaller municipalities will retain the proportional system.

A key feature of the proposal promotes gender inclusion by mandating alternating genders on party lists, along with democratic processes for determining the order of candidates on these lists. Deputy Neto stressed that under the new system, the distribution of seats to parties will correspond to their share of votes across districts within the municipality.

This electoral reform aims to enhance representativeness and fair competition by combining the benefits of district-based accountability and proportional party representation, while also encouraging diversity and fairness in candidate selection. The proposal is scheduled for voting within the current year to enable preparation for the upcoming election cycles.