Elections 2014: How was the vote in London at the weekend?

09 Oct, 2014

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London, in the United Kingdom, is the city with second largest number of registered Brazilian voters in Europe: almost 17 thousand are distributed at 42 polling stations. The number is 145% higher than the registered voters in the previous presidential election. Despite this, it represents fewer than 10% of the estimated 200 thousand Brazilians – legal and illegal – that live in the United Kingdom. The Embassy of Brazil in Trafalgar Square, right in the touristic centre of the city, was one of the polling stations this Sunday (05/10). The other was the Consulate-General, near the busy shopping avenue of Oxford Street.

The voting followed the same schedule as Brazil (from 08.00 to 17.00 local time), and the large queues and movement of people drew the attention of those who went for a stroll on Sunday. Despite the large number of people, the waiting time was only a few minutes.

Photo by Érika Sá

More voters

Between 2010 and 2014, according to official figures, the number of registered voters in London rose from 6,895 to 16,926. The increase meant that the number of people called to work on logistics also increased. In this first round, 168 poll workers worked (including employees of Brazilian representations based in London, volunteers and board members convened by TSE) alongside 40 Brazilian officials in logistical support.

For Marcio Guimarães, one of the coordinators of the election at the consulate, one of the factors that led to the increase in the number of registered voters is the greater strictness in the demand for a voting release certificate in order to renew passports. “Many had not voted for a long time, they didn’t justify it, they didn’t go to the country, and a way to rectify this situation is to transfer the voter registration card”, explained Guimarães.

Even having lived outside of Brazil for many years, many voters expressed interest in current affairs and said they felt a responsibility to vote. Ana Karina de Paula, 35, has lived in the UK for 10 years. As the mother of Robert, 4 months old, she says she considers voting a right, not an obligation. “I think it’s very important that every Brazilian is out exercising the right to vote, especially with all this commotion in the streets,” she said, referring to demonstrations in June last year.

Despite the numbers, it’s important to say that only half of voters attended the polls in London, according to one of the poll workers at the Brazilian Embassy. We await the second round on the 26 ^th of October. Save the date.

Source: DW