The elections of the 1930s: pre-electoral coordination in times of secret ballots

ABSTRACT

This article investigates whether the introduction of the secret ballot in 1932 constitutes a change to the model adopted in the First Republic, where parties organized voters, mobilizing and controlling them in the act of voting. Based on an analysis of the newspapers at that time and the electoral results of the 1934 election, I show that the effect of the reform is not significant. Even though voters cast their votes in an isolated environment, ballots were printed and distributed by parties. Candidates and parties managed to bring together and mobilize voters in elections by organizing the preparation and distribution of ballots.

KEYWORDS:
Vargas; Secret Vote; Elections; Democracy; Parties; Citizenship