Datafolha: 67% have not yet chosen a councilor in São Paulo – 09/28/2024 – Power

Datafolha research shows that 67% of voters have not yet decided their vote for councilor in São Paulo.

The groups with the highest undecided rates are young people aged 16 to 24 (75%) and those who intend to vote for José Luiz Datena (PSDB) for mayor (85%).

When looking at the parties, the level of indecision is 60% among supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s PL. Among voters with an affinity for the left-wing parties PT and PSOL, it reaches 67% and 66%, respectively. And, in the group of those who do not have a preferred party, 71%.

The survey also shows that 56% of São Paulo residents say they do not remember who they voted for for City Council in 2020. Another 29% say they remember, of which 36% intend to choose the same name. 15% declare that they did not go to the polls at the time.

The percentage of people who forget to vote is higher among women (61%, compared to 51% of men) and among the poorest, with a monthly family income of up to two minimum wages (62%, compared to 49% among those who earn more than five minimum wages). ). In relation to parties, the numerically highest rate of those who say they remember their candidate is that of voters who prefer PSOL, at 62%.

The indifference regarding the vote for councilor contrasts with the level of importance that the population says they give to the position: 87% agree (totally or in part) that “the vote for councilor is as important as the vote for mayor” and 89% , that “the mayor needs to have the support of councilors to be successful.”

Datafolha interviewed 1,610 city residents from Tuesday (24) to Thursday (26), less than two weeks before the election. Commissioned by Sheetthe survey is registered with the Electoral Court under code SP-06090/2024 and has a general margin of error of two percentage points, up or down.

With 55 seats, the São Paulo City Council is the largest in the country. 1,016 candidates are registered, almost half of the 2,002 registered in 2020, as there is now a limit of 56 candidates per party. In the last election, the total number of candidates soared due to the end of party coalitions.

This year, the expectation is that dwarf parties and fragmentation will further decrease in Brazilian municipal legislatures. This is because the electoral reform carried out in recent years has made candidates migrate from smaller to larger acronyms, in search of advertising time and funds.

The majority of voters in São Paulo indicate that they prefer to vote for councilors from the neighborhood or region where they live: 63% totally or partially agree with this statement, while 33% disagree to some degree and another 3% neither agree nor disagree.

Among those who say they already know who they are going to vote for, 43% say that the name will be from the same coalition as their candidate for mayor, with this percentage being 61% among voters for Guilherme Boulos (PSOL) and 57% among supporters of Ricardo Nunes (MDB).

Also according to Datafolha, 83% agree that “the main function of councilors is to monitor city hall’s actions and expenses”, but 87% have never contacted or sought help from any councilor in the city. Among the 13% who have already done so, 8% say they have been assisted or received some feedback.

Another survey carried out in July showed that the number of women and black people in Municipal Councils is still considered insufficient by the majority of voters in four Brazilian capitals — São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Recife.

At the same time, around 8 in 10 of those interviewed said at the time that a candidate’s gender and color would not make a difference when choosing a mayor or mayor in these elections.

Datafolha research is part of a series of initiatives by Sheet to increase voter knowledge about the dispute for the São Paulo City Council. The newspaper held three debates with candidates for councilor last week and also launched the Match Electoral 2024 platform.

The tool works like a dating app, “matching” between the reader and candidates for the position according to their answers to a 15-question questionnaire. Other reports on the subject can be found on the Municipal Legislative page.