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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsBrazil elects its president and vice-president together. A candidate wins in the first round only by receiving more than half of valid votes; if no one does, the two candidates with the most votes face each other in a runoff. Blank and null votes do not count toward the majority threshold, and first-round votes do not carry into the second contest.
How the two rounds work
Brazil uses an absolute-majority rule for its presidential election. The first round includes all registered candidates. A candidate must receive more than half of the valid votes to win then and there. If nobody meets that threshold, the two candidates with the highest first-round totals advance to a second round, where the candidate with more valid votes wins.
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The president and vice-president are elected on a joint ticket, so a vote for a presidential candidate also elects the vice-presidential candidate registered with them. Brazil’s Constitution sets 35 as the minimum age for both offices.
What counts as a valid vote?
Only votes cast for candidates are included in the valid-vote total used to calculate an absolute majority. Blank and null votes are excluded. A candidate therefore needs more than half of valid votes—not more than half of every ballot cast—to win in the first round. The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) explains the valid-vote rule in its overview of Brazil’s electoral system.
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When are Brazil’s 2026 presidential election rounds?
The TSE’s 2026 general-election resolution schedules the first round for October 4, 2026, and the second round for October 25, 2026, if one is needed. The runoff is not automatic: it takes place for the presidential contest only if no candidate receives an absolute majority of valid votes in the first round. See the TSE resolution establishing the 2026 election calendar.
What changes in the runoff?
The first and second rounds are separate contests. First-round votes are not added to candidates’ runoff totals; voters decide the runoff on its own valid votes. The contest narrows from all registered candidates to the two first-round leaders, and the finalist with more valid votes in the second round wins.
What if a runoff candidate cannot compete?
Under the Constitution, if a runoff candidate dies, withdraws, or becomes legally barred before the second round, the remaining candidate with the highest first-round vote total is called to compete. If candidates tie for second place in the first round, the older tied candidate qualifies. These contingencies are set out in Article 77 of Brazil’s Constitution.
How this rule differs from other Brazilian elections
The presidential absolute-majority requirement should not be assumed to apply to every Brazilian office. In a relative-majority contest, the candidate with more votes than their competitors can win without receiving more than half of valid votes. The TSE distinguishes that approach from the presidential rule in its explanation of electoral systems.
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