VERDICT: FALSE
Claims that Brazil's 2022 presidential election was rigged through electronic voting machine fraud are FALSE. The Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE), international observer missions from the OAS and Carter Center, and even Brazil's own military audit all confirmed the election was conducted without evidence of fraud. Former President Jair Bolsonaro has been banned from running for office until 2030 for spreading election misinformation and was indicted in 2024 for an alleged coup plot following the January 8, 2023 insurrection.
Despite overwhelming evidence confirming the integrity of Brazil's 2022 presidential election, false claims about electronic voting machine fraud continue to circulate in 2025. These narratives, which echo similar false claims about the 2020 US election, have been systematically debunked by:
- Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) - Certified results showing Lula won with 50.9%
- OAS Electoral Observation Mission - Found no irregularities in voting process
- The Carter Center - Praised transparency of Brazilian elections
- Brazil's Military - Audit found no evidence of fraud despite Bolsonaro pressure
This report examines the origins of these claims, the legal consequences for those who spread them, and why the misinformation persists despite definitive debunking.
The 2022 Presidential Election
On October 30, 2022, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election with 50.9% of valid votes to Bolsonaro's 49.1% - a margin of approximately 2.1 million votes. [1]
Brazil has used electronic voting machines since 1996 - making it one of the most experienced countries in electronic voting. The system has been tested, audited, and validated in 16 national elections over nearly three decades. [8]
| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic voting machines were rigged | FALSE | TSE, OAS, Carter Center audits |
| Military found evidence of fraud | FALSE | Defense Ministry report found nothing |
| Votes were changed electronically | FALSE | End-to-end verification confirmed accuracy |
| International observers found problems | FALSE | OAS praised election transparency |
| Older machines favored Lula | FALSE | Statistical analysis showed no pattern |
What International Observers Found
The Organization of American States (OAS) deployed an Electoral Observation Mission to monitor both rounds of Brazil's 2022 election. Their conclusion was unequivocal: the election was conducted with "full normality and transparency." [3]
The Carter Center, which has monitored elections in over 100 countries, similarly praised Brazil's electoral process, noting: "Brazil's electronic voting system is one of the most transparent in the world." [4]
Key verification measures included:
- Public integrity tests - Voting machines tested publicly before elections
- Parallel voting - Test votes cast and verified during election day
- Printed audit trail - Digital vote records confirmed by parallel paper records
- Source code review - Political parties could inspect voting software
- Real-time transmission monitoring - Results verified at multiple checkpoints
One of Bolsonaro's key demands was for Brazil's military to independently audit the election. This audit was conducted, and the results were devastating to fraud claims:
The Brazilian Defense Ministry's report found no evidence of fraud or manipulation. Despite pressure from Bolsonaro allies to delay or alter the findings, the military's technical analysis confirmed the voting system operated correctly. [5] [10]
The January 8, 2023 Insurrection
Fueled by persistent false claims about election fraud, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court, and Presidential Palace in Brasilia on January 8, 2023 - exactly one week after Lula's inauguration. [6]
The parallels to the January 6, 2021 US Capitol attack were stark:
- Same playbook: Unfounded claims of electronic voting fraud
- Same timing: Attack on certification/inauguration
- Same targets: Legislative and judicial buildings
- Same response: Swift arrests and prosecutions
Brazilian authorities arrested over 1,500 participants. The Brookings Institution described it as "a coordinated attack on Brazilian democracy that drew directly from the US playbook." [15]
Legal Consequences
The legal fallout from Brazil's election misinformation campaign has been significant:
Bolsonaro Banned from Office
In June 2023, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) ruled that Bolsonaro had abused his power and misused public media by spreading false claims about voting machines. The court banned him from running for any elected office until 2030. [2]
Coup Plot Indictment
In November 2024, Brazilian federal police formally indicted Bolsonaro for allegedly plotting a coup d'etat to remain in power. The indictment alleges he led a criminal organization that planned to prevent Lula's inauguration through violent means, including an alleged plot to assassinate Lula and a Supreme Court justice. [7] [12]
Why False Claims Persist in 2025
Despite overwhelming evidence debunking election fraud claims, the narrative persists for several reasons:
Cross-Border Amplification
US-based far-right influencers continue to amplify Brazilian election fraud claims, often conflating them with domestic US election conspiracies. The Council on Foreign Relations notes this creates a "transnational disinformation ecosystem" that reinforces false beliefs across borders. [13]
Political Utility
For Bolsonaro supporters, maintaining fraud claims serves to delegitimize the Lula government and preserve a political identity centered on victimhood.
Platform Policies
Despite platform moderation efforts, false election claims continue to spread on social media, particularly on platforms with limited content moderation in Portuguese.
Brazil's election fraud narrative follows a recognizable pattern seen globally:
- Pre-emptive claims: Bolsonaro questioned electronic voting for years before the 2022 election
- Demand audits, reject results: When audits found nothing, they were dismissed as part of the conspiracy
- Violent escalation: False claims led directly to the January 8 insurrection
- Perpetual grievance: Despite legal consequences, claims persist in online communities
Facts About Brazil's Electronic Voting
Brazil's electronic voting system has several key features that make fraud extremely difficult: [8]
- No internet connection: Voting machines are air-gapped and never connect to the internet
- Encrypted results: Vote tallies are encrypted and digitally signed
- Multiple audits: Parallel testing occurs throughout election day
- Party oversight: All major parties can inspect source code and observe the process
- Paper trail: Digital votes are verified against printed records at sample locations
- 27+ years of use: The system has been used successfully since 1996
Conclusion
The claim that Brazil's 2022 presidential election was stolen through electronic voting machine fraud is FALSE. This conclusion is supported by:
- Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE)
- OAS Electoral Observation Mission
- The Carter Center
- Brazil's own military audit
- Independent fact-checkers (FactCheck.org, PolitiFact)
Former President Bolsonaro has faced severe legal consequences for spreading these false claims, including being banned from office until 2030 and being indicted for an alleged coup plot. The January 8, 2023 insurrection demonstrated the real-world dangers of election misinformation.
Despite this, false claims persist in 2025, sustained by transnational disinformation networks and political utility for those who refuse to accept democratic outcomes.
FALSE: Claims that Brazil's 2022 election was rigged are comprehensively debunked. Multiple independent audits - including by Brazil's own military - found no evidence of fraud. The former president who spread these claims has been banned from office and indicted for an alleged coup attempt.