Datafolha: 4% of voters say they have suffered electoral harassment

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Of every 100 voters who are working, 4 say they have been pressured by their employer to vote for a candidate in the elections, which constitutes a crime of electoral harassment, according to a Datafolha survey. However, none of the interviewees said they had reported the incident.

The survey shows that electoral harassment was more frequent among unregistered employees (7% of them were targeted) and among civil servants (5%). Among registered salaried workers, it was 4%.

The reports were more frequent among young people aged between 16 and 24 (5% of respondents said they had gone through this) and among those earning up to two minimum wages (also 5%). Complaints become rarer as income increases. Among those earning more than 10 minimum wages, only 1% say they have been pressured by superiors.

There were more reports of harassment cases in the North region of the country (6%). In other regions, the average was 3%.

4,580 face-to-face interviews were carried out in 252 municipalities, from all regions of Brazil. The margin of error is plus or minus two percentage points, with a confidence level of 95%

Data from the survey, carried out from Tuesday (25) to Wednesday (27) indicate an underreporting of cases of electoral harassment, whose volume of complaints has grown strongly this year. On Friday (28), complaints of electoral harassment made to the MPT (Ministry of Labor) reached 2,243, a number ten times higher than in 2018, when there were 212 complaints.

According to IBGE data, in September there were 108.7 million workers in Brazil, including all categories. Thus, if 4% of voters experienced electoral harassment, as the survey indicates, the issue may have affected more than 4 million people.

This year, the suspicions involve 1,731 businessmen or public managers. The states with the most accusations are Minas Gerais (542), Paraná (243) and São Paulo (229). Santa Catarina appears in fourth place (208) and Rio Grande do Sul in fifth (194).

Although no survey has been released on which candidate would benefit most from the illegal practices seen so far, most of the reports that have come to the public are from businessmen and mayors who support the reelection of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The reports that surfaced showed employers blackmailing employees into voting for Bolsonaro with promises of ham, time off, R$200 bonuses, 14th and 15th salary or threatening workers to be fired if Lula is elected.

One of the companies sued for harassment was Frimesa, a cooperative from Paraná that produces dairy products and meat. The head of the business was accused of pressuring about 8,000 employees to vote for one of the candidates for the presidency, under threat of dismissal. Frimesa must publish a note of clarification to its employees and cease the practices, under penalty of a daily fine of R$ 200 thousand in case of non-compliance.

In the public sector, there are complaints that mayors and other public managers are putting pressure on subordinates. In Caratinga (MG), for example, Mayor Welington Moreira (PSD) summoned municipal secretaries, civil servants and commissioners to fill a pro-Bolsonaro walk on the 22nd. Those who did not want to participate should have a “conversation” with him afterwards.

Faced with the increase in cases, labor prosecutors from all regions were summoned to act this weekend and try to prevent, for example, employers from withholding documents from employees, or creating schedules for Sunday in order to make it difficult to go to the polls.


HOW AND WHERE TO REPORT ELECTORAL HARASSMENT

The MPT suggests that workers file complaints with as much material evidence as possible, such as documents, images and text or audio messages. They can be made all over Brazil and anonymously through the website of the Public Ministry of Labor.

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