Flávio Bolsonaro highlights Lula's expressive voting in prison

The result of the vote for president at the Regional Presidio of Chapecó, in the West of Santa Catarina, was repercussions on social networks after being quoted by the candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL). The prison unit of Santa Catarina has integrated a list presented by the candidate of places of detention where the president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) obtained more than 90% of the votes in the first stage of the elections.

According to the official data of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the section 386 of the 94th Electoral Zone, located within the chapecoense prison, registered a total of 40 valid votes. Of these, Lula added 38 preferences (equivalent to 95% of the valid votes), while Flávio Bolsonaro registered 2 votes (5%). The section ballot did not count blank or null votes.

The context of voting in prisons

In his publication, the candidate used the numbers of different prison units across the country to criticize the electorate’s profile in these places and question the support received by opponents.

Read also: TSE defines electoral time of Lula and Flavio in the 2nd round

Experts and data from Justiça Eleitoral point out, however, that voting in prison units is restricted to provisional prisoners — those who do not yet have a definitive criminal conviction — and to interned teenagers, since detainees with a sentence on trial have their political rights suspended. Therefore, the result found in the section does not reflect the entire prison population of the Chapecó unit.

Contrast with the municipal scene

The expressive index recorded inside the prison contrasts strongly with the general picture of voting in the municipality of Chapecó. In the general count of the city, Flávio Bolsonaro obtained an expressive vote, reaching 80,783 votes and leading the first round in the municipality, while Lula registered 39,204 votes in the locality.