BRASA has proposed organizing an international mission to observe Brazil’s 2026 general elections, drawing on the expertise of association members working on Brazilian politics, institutions, democracy, elections, misinformation, and minority rights.
In a letter sent to the President of Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, TSE), BRASA expressed its interest in assembling a carefully selected group of observers with relevant academic expertise or previous election-observation experience. The proposed mission would have included observation in at least one region of Brazil, with particular interest in the Northeast, as well as the monitoring of vote-totaling procedures at the TSE in Brasília.
The initiative responded to the persistence of questions about the legitimacy of Brazil’s electoral process in political and public debate abroad, including in the United States. BRASA proposed using direct observation to help disseminate accurate, empirically grounded information among academic communities, policymakers, opinion leaders, and broader international audiences.
In its response, the TSE thanked BRASA for its interest in Brazil’s elections and emphasized the importance of initiatives that strengthen democracy, transparency, and international cooperation. The Court explained that, for the 2026 elections, Brazil will officially receive observation missions constituted by the Organization of American States, the Mercosur Parliament, the European Union, and the League of Arab States. It will also receive specialist missions from three international electoral and judicial networks.
Under this framework, BRASA will not participate in the 2026 elections as an officially accredited observation mission.
The exchange nevertheless points to a broader opportunity. International scholarly associations constitute a deep pool of independent, interdisciplinary expertise. Their members combine knowledge of Brazilian institutions with the ability to communicate across countries, languages, professional communities, and public arenas. These networks can complement the work of traditional international organizations by helping reliable information about elections reach audiences that formal observation reports may not ordinarily reach.
BRASA will continue seeking constructive ways to mobilize the expertise of its members and contribute to informed public discussion about Brazil in the United States and internationally.