Como funcionam as eleições proporcionais e majoritárias?

Summary

This video discusses the differences between majoritarian and proportional elections in Brazil. It explains how the majoritarian system is used for positions like president, governor, and mayor, where the candidate with the majority of votes wins, and how proportional elections apply to legislators like deputies and councilors. The video highlights that in some cases, like mayoral races in smaller municipalities, candidates can win without a majority. It also explains how Senate elections work, including alternating cycles, and touches on how party votes determine proportional representation.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Brazilian Constitution outlines a semi-direct or participatory democracy, where power is exercised by elected representatives.
• 🗳️ Majoritarian elections in Brazil apply to positions like President, Governor, Mayor, and Senator, with a 'winner-takes-all' approach based on majority votes.
• 🏛️ In majoritarian elections for President and Governor, a candidate must win 50% plus one vote in the first round, or face a runoff between the top two candidates.
• 🌍 Presidential elections involve voters from the entire country, while governors are elected by voters within each state, and mayors by municipal residents.
• 🏙️ Only cities with more than 200,000 voters hold a second-round mayoral election if no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes.
• 👨‍⚖️ Senators are elected through majoritarian elections, with each state having three senators, but the elections are staggered so only one or two senators are chosen per cycle.
• 📊 Proportional elections are used to elect legislators at municipal, state, and federal levels (city councilors, state deputies, and federal deputies), based on the party's total votes.
• 🔢 The electoral quotient determines how many seats a party wins, based on the number of valid votes divided by the available seats.
• 🎯 In proportional elections, the focus is on the party's overall vote count, not just individual candidates, leading to the election of the top candidates from the party with enough votes.
• 🏛️ Proportional elections are designed to ensure broader representation of political ideologies, allowing parties to gain seats based on the collective will of the voters.

Q & A

What is the main distinction between majoritarian and proportional elections in Brazil?

In Brazil, majoritarian elections are used for electing positions like President, Governor, Mayor, and Senator, where the candidate with the most votes wins. Proportional elections are used for legislative positions like City Councilors, State Deputies, and Federal Deputies, where the number of seats a party gets depends on the total number of votes the party receives.

How do majoritarian elections for President and Governor function in Brazil?

In both presidential and gubernatorial elections, the candidate must receive more than 50% of the valid votes to win in the first round. If no candidate achieves this, a second round is held between the two candidates with the most votes, and the one with the majority of votes wins.

What is the main difference between elections for Senators and Governors?

While both are elected through a majoritarian system within their state, Senators are elected to represent the state in the Federal Legislative branch and serve eight-year terms. Governors, on the other hand, are elected to lead the state's executive branch and serve four-year terms. Additionally, Senate elections are alternated, with one or two senators being elected every four years, while governors are elected in regular intervals.

How are elections for mayors different from presidential and gubernatorial elections in Brazil?

In mayoral elections, if the municipality has fewer than 200,000 voters, there is no second round, meaning the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority. In larger cities with over 200,000 voters, a second round is held if no candidate gets over 50% of the votes.

Why is there no second round in Senate elections?

Senate elections are majoritarian, but there is no second round because the candidate who receives the most votes is elected, regardless of whether they receive more than 50% of the votes.

How are the number of seats determined in proportional elections for legislative bodies?

In proportional elections, the number of seats a party receives in a legislative body depends on the total number of valid votes the party obtains. The electoral quotient is calculated by dividing the total valid votes by the number of available seats, determining how many votes are required for a party to secure a seat.

What is the 'electoral quotient,' and how is it used in proportional elections?

The electoral quotient is the number of valid votes divided by the number of available seats. It represents the minimum number of votes a party must receive to secure a seat in the legislative body. For example, if there are 20 valid votes and 10 seats, the quotient is 2, meaning a party needs at least two votes to win a seat.

Why might a candidate with more votes than another not win a seat in a proportional election?

In proportional elections, the total votes a party receives determine the number of seats the party will get. Therefore, a candidate who receives more individual votes might not win a seat if their party does not meet the electoral quotient, while a candidate with fewer votes could be elected if their party does.

How are Senators elected in Brazil's proportional system?

Senators are not elected through the proportional system; they are elected through a majoritarian system. However, they serve longer terms (eight years) and elections are alternated. Some years, one senator is elected, and in other years, two are elected.

What types of elections use the proportional system in Brazil?

The proportional system is used for electing City Councilors, State Deputies, Federal Deputies, and District Deputies. These are legislative positions at the municipal, state, and federal levels.