Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Thousands of Brazilians living in New England will get the chance to vote in their home country's presidential election thanks to the Brazilian Consulate.
People registered to vote in Brazil will be able to vote at Saint Tarcisius Parish in Framingham and at Salemwood School in Malden. Officials are expecting a solid turnout amongst the 20,000 registered voters in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
Hugo Barbosa, an official with the Brazilian Consulate, told WBZ's Suzanne Sausville they were happy to give Brazilian citizens abroad a chance to vote.
"We think it is important for them to exercise their citizenship," Barbosa said. "Even if they do not live in Brazil."
Brazilian voters are deciding between multiple candidates for president, but the two front runners are current President Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, more commonly known as Lula.
In Framingham, voters headed to the polls decked out in Brazilian soccer jerseys and waiving Brazilian flags. Several voters that spoke with WBZ's Suzanne Sausville said they were voting for President Bolsonaro.
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"I voted for Bolsonaro for Brazil to be good," one voter said. "Everything he's doing is better for Brazil right now."
But not everyone was there to support the current President, like Diane from Worcester.
"I voted for Lula because Bolsonaro is not a good president," she said. "The last four years weren't very good for Brazil."
Both polling places are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@wbzSausville) reports.
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