The polls opened at 8am, local time in Brazil. They are open until 5pm. We’ll be bringing you updates throughout the day from this important vote.
Brazilians line up to vote at a polling station in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, shortly after the polls opened on October 4, 2026. (Michael Fox)
12:24 PM
Flávio Bolsonaro, who’s long relationship with Rio de Janeiro’s paramilitary militias includes hiring the girlfriend and mother of Escritorio de Crime boss Adriano Nobrega in his State Congressional cabinet for a decade, finished his Rio de Janeiro campaining yesterday in neighborhoods controlled by organized crime groups, writes Raony Salvador in Revista Forum. Read it in English here.
11:53 AM
I’ve covering the elections today for TeleSur in S. Paulo and am doing my life feeds at Sion, the Catholic school in Higienopolis neighborhood where, on February 10, 1980, the Workers Party officially signed its legal charter in a packed auditorium full of union members and intellectuals like Paulo Freire. It is the same location I reported from in the 2022 and 2018 national elections and my take away from my first two visits there this morning is that there are more signs of visible support for Lula than there were 4 years ago. - Mier
Voters entering Sion school at the start of voting, at 8AM this morning
10:30am
Both President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his rival Senator Flávio Bolsonaro voted early.
Lula voted in his hometown of São Bernardo do Campo, in São Paulo.
“What is at stake is the definition of a vision for Brazil,” he told press after he voted. “The people will have to choose between the strengthening of democracy or barbarism.”
Flavio voted in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Vila Isabel.
He attacked Lula and accused him of using public funds to campaign for the elections. “Brazil cannot withstand another four years of this,” he said.
On the streets of Rio de Janeiro, there are many people wearing their president's colors. Red for Lula and yellow for Bolsonaro.
A man in line to vote wears a shirt with the Brazilian flag on it, in Rio de Janeiro, on October 4, 2026 (Michael Fox)
9:00am
Today is the first round of Brazil's elections.
Brazilians are voting for their president and vice president. They’re also voting for all of the country's state governors, all 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies, two-thirds of senators, and more than a thousand state assembly seats.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is ahead in the presidential race.
According to the latest polls, Lula stands a few points ahead of his far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro. But he appears shy of the 50% needed to win outright.
If no presidential candidate wins more than half of the vote, it’ll go to a second round on Sunday, October 25.
Many are concerned over the influence that U.S. President Donald Trump may have on the election in support of Bolsonaro. Former President Jair Bolsonaro was a close ally of Trump, when he was in office.
Trump recently said that he is following these elections, "very closely.”
“Brazil is a very important country,” he said on Thursday. “The people of Brazil are fantastic. These are very important elections.”
We will be updating this live election tracker throughout the day.