Only 34,300 Votes Were Cast After Initial Voting Deadline in Brazil's Election; Lula Won by 4.43 Million - Folha de S.Paulo

Voting hours during Brazil’s election prompted fraud allegations from defeated Senator Flávio Bolsonaro following President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection. The data, however, show that the extension of voting hours ordered by Brazilian authorities —the reason behind the senator’s claims— had no impact on the result.

Flávio’s main target is the decision by Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin, who, at the request of Lula’s campaign, kept polling stations open until 7 p.m. on Sunday (25) because of problems with public transportation in some regions. The senator described the measure as "bullshit."

However, an analysis by researcher Pedro Burgos, using data from the Superior Electoral Court, shows that only 34,330 votes (0.03% of the total) were cast after 5 p.m. In most electoral zones, they were cast by 5:20 p.m., probably by voters who were already in line. Lula won by 4,430,191 votes.