In the first round of the Brazilian elections, Lula (PT) received 48.43% of the vote and Bolsonaro (PL) 43.20%. Not enough to secure the win, but a tendency was set. The advantage of the leftist candidate, however, was not a relief for his voters, as the right wing grew in Congress and the wait to finally “breathe a little hope and joy”, as Debora Baldin says on her social media, has been postponed. The “vira voto” (“convert a vote”) campaign is then mobilized and artists join the activity, trying to attract more voters.
The Vira Voto Campaign
The motto was created in 2018, by PT voters who intended to elect the candidate Fernando Haddad (PT), who was facing Bolsonaro on the run for his first mandate. We all know what happened then: it did not have the expected effect and Jair Bolsonaro (PL) took over the presidency.
This time, as the second round gets near, Debora Baldin, who organized the campaign in the last elections and is now returning to activities, says in a video on her social media: “Our responsibility for the environment, for our people, for the well-being of Brazilians, for those who vote and for those who don’t vote for him, has to be greater than our exhaustion and our fear”. The message is sad but makes it clear: it’s time to act.
In her declaration, she mentions the deaths left by Bolsonaro (PL), the number of 680.000 people, referring to the mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue and the threats to democracy, the environment, and indigenous people are remembered by voters who adhere to the campaign and see the urgency of defeating Bolsonarism, “not just voting”, as she claims, but creating a mobilized front, which would start through the election of Lula.
So Debora, Sabrina Fernandes, and Gabrielle Nascimento organized a live podcast, called “Fogo no Parquim”, available on YouTube, and created Telegram groups to organize the movement on the streets and social media.
Care and resistance are collective
For Talita Costa, 36, a former student of Cásper Líbero, who is a “vira voto” activist engaged in the São Paulo campaign Telegram group, it really hit her when she realized how many votes Bolsonaro had, even after the pandemic fiasco. Her hopes for Lula’s victory in the first round were dashed, but the next day she was already thinking about what to do.
Talita says that, among the members of the group chat, “there were very productive exchanges, with respect, even when we don’t agree. They are groups for militancy and articulation, but they are also spaces for support because it is not easy.”
“We’ve gotten used to complaining on social media, but that often doesn’t have the practical result we’d like”, says Talita. Thus, the people who are trying to convert bolsonarists choose to escalate on the streets between leafleting, meetings, and “eye-to-eye” conversation, in addition to media posts and engagement. Face-to-face campaigns, however, demand caution and must be done in groups, since the imminence of violence is real.
Talita addresses that she was afraid even to wear a red blouse to the elections since she was alone. She vents: “It’s so absurd to think that, in a democracy, wearing a color can bring problems, but here we are.”
It’s coming to an end
On a brighter note, Guilherme Boulos (PSOL), the most-voted federal deputy in São Paulo, said in a Roda Viva interview, “whoever endured 4 years, can endure 28 more days”. That was the day after the consolidation of the second round for the presidency.
Lula voters are counting down the days for the nightmare to end, and so is Boulos: “On October 30, we will end this dark phase of Brazilian history,” he states optimistically.
All segments of society have joined the mobilization. In the first round, artists made a song in favor of the ‘useful’ vote, joining forces to take Bolsonaro out. “Vira, vira voto”, still playing on Instagram and TikTok, calls the population to talk and change the vote because, “Every Vira Voto is courage, resistance, and hope.”
“Look to the future, give a pencil, take the gun away from the child,” invite the artists who participated in the creation. The videos include them turning the infamous “little gun” and signaling an “L” (as in Lula) with their hand.
Candidate Simone Tebet (MDB), former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and PDT (Democratic Labor Party) have also declared their support for Lula (PT). According to a JOTA research, the supporters have a high degree of influence and consolidation through identification or popularity.
According to the last Ipec research on the 24th, Lula has 50% of voting intentions while Bolsonaro has 43%. The second round takes place on October 30th.