Voter abstention is an obstacle to Piracicaba electing local representatives, judge says

High voter abstention in Piracicaba’s recent elections is one of the obstacles preventing the city from achieving broader political representation, according to Judge Wander Pereira Rossette Júnior. In the 2022 elections, 67,918 registered voters failed to show up at the polls. In 2024, during the municipal elections, the number reached 91,520. The data comes from TRE-SP (São Paulo State Electoral Court). Although these were elections involving different offices and contests, the figures show that a significant share of the city’s electorate has repeatedly chosen not to vote. If some of these voters decide to go to the polls in 2026, they could play an important role in choosing the state and federal deputies who will represent Piracicaba.

The municipality enters the 2026 elections with 310,331 registered voters eligible to cast their ballots. If abstention levels from recent elections are repeated, a significant portion of the electorate will once again be left out of the choice of representatives. It is in this context that Acipi, Coplacana, Pecege, and Simespi are carrying out the campaign “2026 Elections: Choose Someone from Piracicaba.” The initiative is nonpartisan and aims to encourage voter participation while highlighting the importance of Piracicaba having representatives in the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo and the Chamber of Deputies.

Judge Wander Pereira Rossette Júnior participated as a guest speaker at the campaign’s launch and drew attention to the size of the electorate that does not vote. During the event, he linked the number of voters in the municipality to the possibility of expanding its representation at the state and federal levels. “With 310,000 voters, doing a quick calculation, we had nearly 90,000 abstentions. In other words, people who did not show up to exercise their right to vote. We practically lost one representative simply because of voter absence,” he said.

According to the judge, the campaign seeks to demonstrate what the city loses when it is unable to elect representatives of its own. The discussion, he said, should not be limited to funding obtained through legislative amendments. Deputies can also work with government officials to secure infrastructure projects, benefits, and investments for the municipality. “We also know about the work deputies do with government officials, seeking improvements for the city, infrastructure projects, benefits, schools, and a series of other things that sometimes go beyond legislative amendments,” he said.

Concern over voter participation is also linked to the effects that a lack of political representation can have on the city. Without its own representatives, Piracicaba may have less capacity to coordinate efforts to secure funding and investments. At the same time, when voters do not go to the polls, the city has less influence over the selection of those who may occupy these positions.

Raising awareness goes beyond electoral participation. The study supporting the initiative estimates that Piracicaba missed out on a potential R$320 million in legislative amendments between 2019 and 2025, a period during which the city did not have its own federal deputy. For the next electoral cycle, the projection indicates a gross potential of R$214.48 million in legislative amendments from one federal deputy and one state deputy over a four-year period, based on 2026 reference values. The study emphasizes that political representation also depends on other factors, such as the municipality’s administrative capacity and economic conditions.

The “2026 Elections: Choose Someone from Piracicaba” campaign is organized by Acipi, Coplacana, Pecege, and Simespi. It has institutional support from Afocapi, CDL, Ciesp, Diocese of Piracicaba, HFC, OAB (Piracicaba 8th Section), Sincomércio, Sincop, Sindirpi, and Uniodonto Piracicaba. Media partners include Danilo Favarim, Folha de Piracicaba, Jornal de Piracicaba, O Democrata, O Regional, Piracast, Piranot, Rádio Difusora FM, Rádio Jovem Pan News FM, Rádio Piracicaba, TV Metropolitana, TV Região Piracicaba Agora, Via Piracicaba, and Viletim.

Already underway, the campaign includes both online and offline initiatives, such as radio spots, newspaper advertisements, social media posts, video production, and banners on news portals. More information is available on the social media channels of the organizations behind the campaign.