TSE will replace damaged electronic voting machines in Rio Grande do Sul

The president of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Alexandre de Moraes, guaranteed this Thursday (9), in Brasília, the replacement of all electronic voting machines damaged by the floods that hit most municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul.

The Electoral Court ensures that it has a sufficient technical reserve to replace all possibly damaged equipment in time for this year’s municipal elections – scheduled for October 6th – with a possible second round on October 27th. It is not yet known how many ballot boxes were affected.

“We reiterate our solidarity with all the people of Rio Grande do Sul,” said Moraes, during this Thursday’s plenary session (9). He added that he was in permanent contact with the president of the Regional Electoral Court of RS, judge Vanderlei Teresinha Kubiak, and that the TSE was available to help on several fronts.

The TRE-RS headquarters, in Porto Alegre, had its work stopped due to the flooding of the capital of Rio Grande do Sul by Lake Guaíba, which this week reached its highest level in history, above five meters, two meters above the flood level.

Guaranteed wages

Because of this strike, the TSE informed that it will process the payroll of Rio Grande do Sul Electoral Court employees in Brasília, in order to avoid salary delays.

This week, the TSE also suspended the counting of deadlines in processes originating in Rio Grande do Sul. The plenary of the Electoral Court also approved an extraordinary extension – from May 8th to May 23rd – of the deadline for issuing, regularizing or transferring the title of voters in the Rio Grande do Sul electoral offices.

According to the most recent Civil Defense report, the heavy rains, floods and floods that hit most of Rio Grande do Sul have caused the deaths of 107 people so far, with another 136 missing. In total, there are 164,583 homeless people.