Intervenções Institucionais contra a desinformação em eleições: as estratégias aplicadas pela Justiça Eleitoral Brasileira

Abstract

The dissemination of disinformation during electoral processes poses a serious threat to electoral integrity, compromising the credibility of voting systems and undermining public trust in democratic institutions. This master's thesis investigates the strategies employed by the Brazilian Electoral Justice to combat disinformation in elections, exploring the effectiveness of these approaches and identifying potential improvements. The study is grounded in theoretical frameworks established by prominent scholars who discuss disinformation networks and analyze the dynamics of information on social media, as well as those who provide insights into resistance to persuasion, which are essential for understanding prebunking and debunking tactics. The overarching goal of this work is to analyze the institutional strategies of the Electoral Justice in combating disinformation, evaluating the effectiveness of these initiatives and suggesting improvements. Specifically, the research aims to examine the current initiatives of the Electoral Justice to mitigate the effects of disinformation against the electoral system and to propose enhancements based on effective practices that prepare the electorate to process such information. Additionally, as a specific objective, the study seeks to develop a training program on the electoral process to serve as an action plan to be implemented by partnered civil society organizations. The expected impact is to combat misinformation about the electoral process through preventive educational actions. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative approach, including field research following the implementation of the action plan, documentary analysis of recent informational campaigns, and a literature review on the topic. This method enables a detailed analysis of public perceptions and the effectiveness of the strategies in use. The findings indicate that individuals exposed to high-quality information about the electoral process tend to have a better perception of the Electoral Justice. However, this does not necessarily increase public trust in the Brazilian voting system.