Electoral Paradox: The Others Always Choose For You

Abstract

This essay consists of a thorough critical analysis of the dogmatic premises behind Brazilian electoral legislation and the official rhetoric of authorities, conveyed by Electoral Justice through propaganda and legal coercion. Adopting public choice theory as the main methodological paradigm, pragmatic and impartial, the argumentation is developed around the paradox identified by economist Anthony Downs, a corollary of the discrepancy between individual utility of a vote and probability of a vote and its public utility, tethered to the probability of a vote being decisive in an election, a paradox examined in the context of Brazilian democracy. The arguments presented are based on objective data, information theory, statistics and probabilistic calculus, presented in an accessible form, primarily descriptive, regarding the functioning of the electoral system and government communication, concluding with normative considerations.