Most votes wins? Understand how deputy elections work in Brazil

In Brazil's elections for federal and state deputies, the system used is proportional representation, which differs significantly from the majoritarian systems employed for electing presidents, governors, and mayors. This means that the candidate who receives the most individual votes is not guaranteed a seat in the Chamber of Deputies or Legislative Assemblies.

The proportional list system, specifically an open-list variant, involves complex calculations. These calculations consider the total number of valid votes cast, the number of seats available, and the votes received by each political party or coalition. This process determines how many seats each party secures and which candidates from those parties are eligible to take office.

Fátima Lampreia Carvalho, a professor of Political Science at the Federal University of Fluminense, explains that while a majoritarian system might allow a single party with the most votes to claim all available seats in a state, the proportional model ensures that parties with smaller vote shares can also elect representatives. "The idea is that the composition of the legislature should reflect, as much as possible, the diversity of opinions existing in society, and not just the will of the majority," she stated.

For the Chamber of Deputies, 513 seats are contested and distributed proportionally among the states. The "electoral quotient" determines the value of each seat, calculated by dividing the total valid votes in a state by the number of seats allocated to that state. State population size dictates the number of seats, with São Paulo having the most and several smaller states having the least.

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The idea is that the composition of the legislature should reflect, as much as possible, the diversity of opinions existing in society, and not just the will of the majority.