O halter vote it represented an imposing and arbitrary electoral form imposed by the colonels.
Definition
Halter vote is an expression given by the superposition of two words. So we have Vote, which is the full exercise of democracy; it's the word Halter, from latin capistrum, which means "gag or brake".
In this way, we have an almost paradoxical concept, in that it represents a muzzled and guided democracy like a pack animal.
Vote for halter in the Old Republic
In the poorest regions of Brazil, especially in the northeast, this clientelism has been a recurrent practice since the times of the Empire.
It had been commonplace during the Old Republic and perhaps continues to this day.
This was because our electoral system was fragile and easy to be tampered with and manipulated according to the hidden interests of the agrarian elites.
In this case, the voter only needed to hand in a piece of paper with his candidate's name on it.
Note that it could have been written by the colonel himself, as most of these voters couldn't even read, and deposited in an urn, in a cloth bag.
It is remarkable, in this context, the exchange of favors that constituted the system of "open vote", which was then known as "leather vote",
To know more:
- old republic
- First Republic
Vote of Halter and Coronelismo
It is not possible to think of a halter vote without considering the Colonelism or the violence of this regime.
It is well known that the colonel was a very rich farmer. He used his economic and military power to guarantee the election of his political sponsors.
Not rarely, these colonels forced their clientele, even with physical violence, in extreme cases, they could lead to death.
This political domain over a region is called "electoral corral" which elect candidates supported by the local leader.
Since voting was open, that is, it was possible to identify each voter, voters were pressured and inspected by the colonel's jagunços.
This situation only ended (or was reduced) after the Revolution of 1930, when Getúlio Vargas rose to power, fighting coronelismo.
Later, in 1932, Brazil's first Electoral Code came into effect, guaranteeing the secret ballot and, with that, hitting hard on the power of rural elites.
Halter Vote Types
To ensure political control of their “electoral corral”, the colonels manipulated political power. The abuse of authority, the purchase of votes or the use of the public machine stand out.
It was not uncommon either, the creation of "ghost votes", exchange of favors and electoral fraud. These were forged from falsified documents so that minors and illiterate people could vote.
Another recurring way was the fraud of vote counting, when colonels disappeared with ballot boxes to tamper with their results. However, the most effective way was coercion through physical and psychological violence.
Currently, the practices of “leather voting” have become more sophisticated. They continue to be in force, even in urban centers, where the paramilitary figure exerting violence is the militia.
Therefore, the will of the voter is violated by drug traffickers, militias, religious leaders and the manipulation of the masses. And, their imaginaries are taken through the clientelism generated by the assistance programs.
Today, the so-called "staff vote" deserves to be highlighted, in which pastors and spiritual leaders "impose" a certain candidate of the church to the faithful.
The reflection of this is the strengthening of the religious bench in Congress and other Brazilian representative bodies.
Also read about this subject:
- patronage
- What is policy?
- Exercises on Old Republic
