Romeu Zema uses cell phone in voting booth in Araxá; TRE-MG investigates case

Romeu Zema cell phone in the voting booth became one of the repercussion episodes of the 2026 Elections on Sunday (4). The candidate for the Presidency for the New was shown by GloboNews with the apparatus during the vote in Araxá, Minas Gerais, and the Regional Electoral Court of Minas Gerais (TRE-MG) reported that the case will be determined.

The images were broadcast during the live coverage of GloboNews. Journalists Narayanna Borges and Rafael Colombo reacted to seeing the candidate with the device and stressed during the broadcast that mobile phones cannot be taken inside the voting booth.

Zema explains episode

After leaving the polling place, Romeu Zema said he usually stays with the phone for most of the day and said he would not have been alerted to leave the device before entering the cabin.

According to the candidate, the cell phone was not used to photograph or record the vote. Zema also said he had taken a “colline” on paper with the candidates’ numbers.

The Justiça Eleitoral recommends the use of the traditional paper colla as an alternative so that the voter has the numbers available during the voting.

TRE-MG will investigate the case

The President of the Regional Electoral Court of Minas Gerais (TRE-MG), Carlos Henrique Perpétuo Braga, confirmed that the situation will be analyzed by Justiça Eleitoral.

According to the magistrate, the circumstances of the episode involving Romeu Zema cellular in the voting booth will be determined by the electoral judge before the definition of any measures. The president of TRE-MG also stressed that the messiers were previously guided on the rules related to the entry of electronic equipment into the cabin.

What the legislation says

Brazilian electoral legislation prohibits the voter from carrying a cell phone, camera or video camera inside the voting booth.

The rule is contained in article 91-A of Law No. 9.504/1997 and aims to preserve the secrecy of voting. The device must remain outside the cabin while the voter uses the electronic urn.

The Justiça Eleitoral also directs that other equipment capable of recording images or compromising the secrecy of the voter’s choice are not taken to the space reserved for voting.

The president of TRE-MG said on Sunday that the breach of the norm is irregular and that the episode will be duly investigated. Therefore, the calculation should clarify the circumstances of the entry of the candidate with the cell phone and whether there will be any legal consequence related to the case.

 

Read also: Counting of the Elections 2026 has already begun; follow the results by BnT