Candidates for local elections to be unveiled
The countdown to the 2025 municipal elections is on, with the National Elections Commission (CNE) meticulously organising the process. The results of the lot draw for the order of candidates on the ballot were sent to the CNE and the mayors of the respective municipalities on 19 August.
The process for the elections generally involves a candidate submission, verification, and early voting phase. Candidates must submit their Notice of Candidacy and related filing requirements within a defined window. For instance, in Brunswick County, candidates for municipal offices must file in person at the Board of Elections office between July 7 and noon on July 18, 2025, including paying the required fees. Similarly, Minneapolis opened its candidate filing from July 29 through August 12, 2025, for offices like Mayor and City Council, with in-person filing at the Elections & Voter Services office.
Once the filing period closes, election boards update and post comprehensive lists of candidates to maintain transparency. In Brunswick County, these lists are posted daily after 5 p.m. on its official municipal elections webpage.
The early voting phase typically occurs after candidate lists are finalized and continues until shortly before election day. While the specific schedules for early voting in the 2025 municipal elections are yet to be announced, they are expected to facilitate voter participation.
Voters who cannot vote on election day due to professional reasons, such as military personnel, security forces, civil protection agents, government delegations, maritime and aviation workers, long-distance railway and road workers, and national sports team representatives, can contact their municipal mayor between 2 and 7 October to exercise their right to vote early.
Rectification procedures begin, and accepted rectified lists will be posted on the door of the court building by September 1st. Candidates may withdraw from the election up to 48 hours before the election (9 October).
Political parties, party coalitions, and Citizen Voter Groups (GCE) must submit their candidacies by 6 pm on 18 August. This year, voters will cast ballots to elect the executives and municipal councils of 308 municipalities, with 3,259 parish assemblies elected, 167 more than in the last municipal elections, due to the replacement of 302 parishes combined in 2012, through the disintegration of 135 parish unions.
The electoral campaign for the municipal elections will take place between 30 September and 10 October. Patients hospitalized, students in different districts, and imprisoned voters without political rights can request early voting from the mayor of their registered municipality by 22 September, either electronically or by mail.
Several appeals against the judge's decision may still be accepted and filed all the way to the Supreme Federal Court (STF). The CNE has published a calendar for the municipal elections on its website, providing a clear timeline for the upcoming elections.
- The process of the 2025 municipal elections involves policy-and-legislation, as candidates must adhere to defined windows for filing their Notice of Candidacy and related filing requirements, and candidates for political offices have specific deadlines to meet, such as those in Brunswick County and Minneapolis.
- The upcoming municipal elections, slated for 2025, are a key part of the general-news landscape, with political parties, party coalitions, and Citizen Voter Groups (GCE) submitting their candidacies by designated deadlines, and the electoral campaign being scheduled to take place between particular dates.
