Making voters and elections: Political mobilization and democracy in brazil in the post-new state period

Abstract

This article assesses the emergence of competitive elections in Brazil after the fall of the “New State”. The main goal of the text is to demonstrate that the independence of electors – the freedom to vote – is not a necessary condition for the emergence of competitive elections. To this end, it is suggested that the adoption of the secret vote did not entail significant changes in electoral practices, as the political elites remained in control of the behavior of voters. In order for elections to become competitive it is essential that different political groups are capable ofmobilizing electors to carry out and win elections. To this end, the government ought to lose control of electoral enrollment.