President of the Chamber of Deputies Hugo Motta, representing the Republicanos party, is advocating for a vote on adopting a mixed district electoral system before the conclusion of this year. A segment of parliamentarians seeks to leverage the current composition of the House to finalize changes to electoral rules, aiming to alter how deputies are elected and diminish the impact of so-called vote pullers.
The proposed mixed district model combines two selection methods: candidates would compete directly for seats in specific districts through a majority system, while other seats would be allocated based on party lists. This contrasts with the current proportional system, where a party's total electoral performance determines its number of legislative seats via an electoral quotient, which are then filled by the party's most voted candidates.
Support for the reform is particularly strong among parties that lost seats or saw limited growth in recent elections, as well as those like the PSD and MDB that hold significant influence at the municipal level. Leaders such as Gilberto Kassab of the PSD back the initiative, noting that a district-based system could enhance the role of mayors in selecting candidates for deputy positions.
Under the existing proportional framework, candidates with exceptionally high vote counts can help elect other members of their party who might not otherwise win. In the last election cycle, more than 30 deputies contributed to the election of other parliamentarians, benefiting approximately 60 candidates through this mechanism. While this phenomenon was historically highlighted by figures like Tiririca in 2010, social media has recently amplified the reach of digital influencers like Nicolas Ferreira, allowing them to mobilize voters across entire states.
Conversely, parties that benefit from the current model, including the PT and PL, have expressed resistance to the change. These parties possess members with significant electoral mobilization capabilities. The debate also encompasses potential regulations on political advertising on social media and proposals to cap the number of votes considered valid for transferring seats, with a limit of one million votes being discussed as a possible threshold.
Despite the push to approve the proposal this year, the opposition from major political forces like the PT and PL presents significant hurdles. Additionally, the existence of party federations within the PT adds further complexity to the legislative discussion.
Sources: G1.