The 37-year-old federal lawmaker Domingos Neto (PSD-CE) claims that he has received positive signals from the two main parties in the House of Representatives, PT and PL, to approve the project to change the current proportional electoral model to a mixed constituency system.
In an interview with sheetHe argues that the exchange has the power to prevent criminal factions from entering politics, praising it for its potential to strengthen political parties and wrest power from so-called vote-getters.
“The advantage is going to be those with the political base. It’s going to be much more valuable than money, it’s going to be much more valuable than YouTube, it’s going to be much more valuable than TikTok. It’s going to be cheaper to provide face-to-face services, it’s going to be accountability, it’s going to be cheaper to know people, it’s going to be known, it’s going to be grounded, and it’s going to be cheaper to vote.”
Mixed electoral districts divide the state into electoral districts, with half of the members elected by local majority vote and the other half elected by party list.
Today, MPs are elected using a proportional system. Voters vote for candidates or parties, seats are distributed according to the parties’ total votes, and the party that receives the most votes within a party wins. This allows vote gatherers to help colleagues with less support.
Mr. Has the report already been prepared or are you still consulting the bench?
I still talk to everyone. But I have already prepared a document and am waiting for (Chamber of Commerce) President Hugo Motta to put this on the agenda. I have already spoken to most party leaders and the president. It’s just a matter of timing to bring this up. We put it on the table, then we debate it, we get proposals from the parties, the leadership, the bench, and then we make changes in plenary.
What do you do, mister? Have there been any changes related to the project by former Senator Jose Serra (PSDB-SP) that was approved by the Senate in 2017?
There are some changes. The most important is the change to single voting (voters vote for a candidate in their district and votes for that candidate’s party on a private list are counted).
And who will design the district?
The Electoral Tribunal will apply the rules we prescribe under the IBGE.
This model significantly reduces the power of voters, opinion votes, anti-establishment votes, etc.
We value (your vote) wherever you are. When district voting occurs, the motive is accountability. You can make a request to your member of parliament. Currently, almost 90% of voters cannot remember who they voted for. This changes. Voters need to build relationships with their federal legislators, as well as with their mayors, who are among the political representatives voters most identify with.
Does this district design give an advantage to parties that already have members with significant national influence?
Those with a political base will have an advantage. It’s going to be much more valuable than money, much more valuable than YouTube, much more valuable than TikTok. It will be more valuable to serve, take responsibility, get to know people, be known, and be down to earth. Election costs will also be lower.
Is there a purpose to block influencers?
It may be the result, but it is not the goal. Especially since this bill was created long before influencers came onto the scene. The question of being able to charge more powerfully is more important, and influencers remain a possible candidate. No one will stop or prohibit this.
Regarding the issue of factions, you are saying that it will be difficult to participate. But some people find it even easier. When drawing electoral districts, why can’t the faction that controls the area elect its representatives?
There are no constituencies in neighboring areas (mixed district voting is proposed for municipal elections in cities with a population of 200,000 or more). Our project deals only with metropolitan districts. You can’t arrive at a municipality with 1,000 residents and divide it into districts.
Still, why is it difficult in your opinion?
Of course it will be difficult. Why were they elected today? Any party can field thousands of candidates in São Paulo. How do you know who thousands of people are?
In other words, this man has already entered an undercover investigation without anyone being able to identify his true identity. These factions do not command large centers. As a rule, they command small territories spread over several municipalities.
So what will she do today? She took it and gave the man 500 votes in one municipality, 200 in another, and 300 in another. The total was 100,000. Deputy members were elected.
They do it quietly and avoid the spotlight. For example, if such an election were held in a constituency in the state of São Paulo, the number of residents (per constituency) would be almost 1 million, so the person who received the most votes would become the representative with 250,000 or 300,000 votes. And there are only a few candidates, 10, 11, and each party can only launch one. So there will be a federal deputy debate. How do faction members participate in the discussion?
For example, I believe the city of São Paulo should have eight districts.
And on what basis will São Paulo be divided territorially?
According to the rules, macro-region, meso-region, this is in the law (in the project). Additionally, there can be up to a 5% difference in population between one district and another. It is not possible, as it may not be possible to make them 100% identical.
This project already existed before the mega-police operation in Rio. Congress has already rejected several proposals to change the electoral model in recent years, so why is it being considered again now?
Parliament rejected it when around 30 political parties were represented. Before the 2017 reform, there were a huge number of parties. The number of political parties has declined, with only seven parties now having more than 40 members. The next of these is less than 20.
There’s a new way to discuss these kinds of topics. And we’ve seen organized crime’s entry into politics strengthen in elections. There are already some examples. Here in my state (Ceara), we also had mayors who were impeached by the Electoral Court for their involvement in criminal factions.
So this accelerates such problems. From mapping 2,000 candidates in São Paulo, can you identify which candidates are connected to crime and which are not? It doesn’t work. Now, if there are 10 candidates in your district, the press, public ministries and political opponents will shine a spotlight on this debate. It will be easier. A debate among federal lawmakers is scheduled to take place.
Based on our conversations so far, are the PT and PL (the largest party in the chamber) in favor? The PT has historically supported closed lists…
PL too. I spoke to various parts of PL. I have not yet met Valdemar (Costa Neto, PL leader), but the person he nominated at the meeting was Artinu (Cortés, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce). I also spoke to Sostenes (Cabalcante, PL bench leader). Although Valdemar did not travel and participate, Valdemar’s message at the conference was positive.
x-ray
Mr. Domingos Neto has served four consecutive terms in Congress. He is 37 years old and holds a law degree from the University of Fortaleza. In the House, he served as general rapporteur for the 2020 federal budget, among other responsibilities.
Current situation and future hopes
Proportional elections (current model)
position: Federal, state/local representatives and representatives
Voters will vote as follows:
- Among the candidates or
- Directly affiliated with a political party/federation
- Votes for all candidates and parties are added up
- Electoral index is calculated (number of valid votes ÷ number of vacancies)
- Each party/federation receives seats proportional to its total votes.
- The candidate with the most votes within each party is elected until the seat count is complete.
example:
- The state has 10 seats.
- Party A received enough votes to win 3 seats.
- The three candidates from party A who receive the most votes win the seats
effect:
- “Vote-pulling candidates” can elect colleagues with fewer votes.
- Campaigns tend to be more expensive because they run across the state
- Voters often do not know who their direct representatives are
- Decision-making rights are more focused on candidates’ personal performance
mixed district
Each state (or municipality) is divided into electoral districts representing half of the available seats.
example: 70 members of Congress (São Paulo) → 35 constituencies
- Voters vote for candidates in their constituency (nominal voting), and this vote counts for political parties that have pre-ordered lists of candidates.
half of the chair:
- Candidate with the most votes in each constituency (majority voting system)
The remaining half will be distributed:
- Between political parties according to the total number of votes for the parties in the state
- Vacant seats will be filled in the order listed in each caption.
example:
- The state has 10 seats → 5 electoral districts + 5 party seats
- 5 candidates directly elected by the constituency
- The remaining five are chosen from a party list based on the total number of votes for the parties in the state.
Advantages and disadvantages of mixed districts
Strong Points:
- Connect voters with representatives (each district has a known representative)
- Reduce campaign costs (narrower scope of action)
- Strengthen political parties and reduce the weight of “vote collectors”
- Can reduce party splits
- Defense attorneys argue that this model makes it harder for organized crime to penetrate by spotlighting conflicts.
Cons:
- Opinion votes and candidates representing minorities become less important.
- Risk of local oligarchy (areas dominated by families and community groups)
- Some vacancies are obtained from party lists, so there is less freedom of personal choice.
- Strengthening party territory and the “collegial system” of state and federal representatives
- Crime continues to infiltrate, and a mayor suspected of having ties to a faction has already been elected.
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