Romeu Zema said he neither recorded nor photographed his ballot on 4 October, although TSE rules require voters to leave electronic devices with polling staff.
Brazilian presidential candidate Romeu Zema of Novo has explained why he entered a voting booth carrying a mobile phone on 4 October. The incident occurred at Escola Estadual Delfim Moreira in Araxá, Minas Gerais.
Zema told reporters that he carries the phone throughout the day and that nobody reminded him to surrender it before approaching the electronic voting machine. He said he did not take photographs or make a recording and used the booth only to vote. Had he been warned, he added, he would have handed over the device immediately.
Brazil’s TSE, the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, requires voters to switch off phones and other electronic devices and leave them with polling staff before entering the booth. The restriction follows Lei 9.504/97 and Resolução 23.736/24 and is intended to protect ballot secrecy.
CNN Brasil requested comment from TRE-MG, the Tribunal Regional Eleitoral de Minas Gerais, but had received no response when the initial report was published. Zema also referred to events in Paraná without explaining their connection to the rules at his polling station.