TSE excludes Armed Forces from monitoring electronic voting machines

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) unanimously decided to exclude the Armed Forces from the list of entities that supervise the Brazilian electoral process. The decision was taken at this Tuesday’s session (26). The rapporteur of the instruction was the President of the Court, Minister Alexandre de Moraes. In addition to the Armed Forces, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) was also removed from the list of institutions authorized to monitor the audit phases of ballot boxes and electoral systems.

“The participation of the Armed Forces did not prove necessary, reasonable and efficient. It proved to be absolutely incompatible with constitutional duties, as well as participation in the electoral transparency commission,” said Moraes. The minister defended the logistical actions of the military in the elections.

“The important thing, and therefore essential assistance, is the constant partnership between the Armed Forces and the Electoral Court, which will remain. It will continue in the activities that the Armed Forces have historically and traditionally carried out, in a great partnership with the Electoral Court, for the safety of voters at polling places, in addition to the essential logistical support that the Armed Forces provide when transporting ballot boxes”, he highlighted. .

In 2021, the TSE expanded the number of entities that could act in monitoring the electoral system. Last year, the then Minister of Defense, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, sent the inspection report on the electronic voting system to the Electoral Court during a period of tension between the Electoral Court and the military.

Despite this Tuesday’s decision, the TSE decided to maintain the Pilot Project with Biometrics, which used the fingerprints of almost five thousand volunteer voters to enable the electronic voting machines submitted for verification in the first and second rounds. Held for the first time in the 2022 elections, the project was a proposal from the Armed Forces.

The rules approved in this Tuesday’s session will be applied from next year’s elections onwards. “The regulation, coordination and implementation of the Integrity Test with Biometrics will be carried out in accordance with the technical, logistical, budgetary and financial feasibility of the Electoral Court”, said the TSE, in a note.

The institutions authorized to participate in the inspection stages are: political parties, federations and coalitions; Brazilian Bar Association; Public ministry; National Congress; Comptroller General of the Union; Federal police; Brazilian Computing Society; Federal Council of Engineering and Agronomy; National Council of Justice; National Council of the Public Ministry; Court Union accounts.

And also: National Confederation of Industry, other members of the Industry System and corporate entities belonging to System S; Brazilian private, non-profit entities, with notable performance in oversight and transparency of public management, accredited by the TSE; and information technology departments of universities accredited by the TSE.