A Quaest poll commissioned by GLOBO and TV Globo reveals that 37% of Brazilian voters say they "want to vote less" for candidates who skip electoral debates. The survey was conducted between August 30 and September 1, with more than 2,000 interviews across the country, and is registered with the Electoral Court under protocol BR-07065/2026, with a margin of error of two percentage points.
The impact of absences at debates primarily affects voters who identify as "independents," meaning those who do not define themselves as either left or right. This group is considered strategic in this year's presidential race, being a key sector for the election outcome.
According to the poll, 57% of respondents said that candidates' absence at debates "does not affect voting decisions." Another 3% said they "want to vote more" for candidates who skip debates, while 3% did not know or did not want to answer the question.
