Brazil’s Indigenous Park Missed Election Vote Amid Lack of Polling Stations

Residents of the Tumucumaque Indigenous Park in northern Brazil could not vote in October’s general elections because no polling station existed within the 3‑million‑hectare territory. The park, home to about 2,800 citizens in 74 villages, lies across five municipalities in Amapá state. A federal court ruling on October 22 ordered that Indigenous voters nationwide receive transportation and language interpreters to exercise their voting rights. Yet, election officials in Amapá were unaware of the park’s existence and did not provide any polling locations. The community’s coordinator, Mitore Tiriyo Kaxuyana, noted that most villagers normally do not vote due to the need to travel by plane to Macapá, the state capital. The court’s decision now obliges authorities to arrange accessible voting options for the park’s inhabitants, a step toward fulfilling constitutional voting rights.