Brazil's election is Sunday, Oct. 4: how it works and what to know

Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, holds its general election on Sunday, October 4. About 156 million people are eligible to vote, and the ballot is long: president and vice president, all 513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, 54 of the 81 Senate seats, and governors and state legislators across the country.

The presidential race has 13 registered candidates. According to the Americas Society/Council of the Americas poll tracker, incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party were in a statistical tie in late September, and both had rejection rates around 50%. Other candidates include Ronaldo Caiado, a former governor of Goiás, and Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais.

A candidate needs more than half of the valid votes to win in the first round. If no one does, the top two meet in a runoff on October 25. Voting is compulsory for literate citizens from 18 to 70 and optional for 16- and 17-year-olds. Brazil votes on electronic machines with a paper audit trail, and voting hours are set on one schedule across the country's time zones.

For Brazilians living in the United States, voting is limited to president and vice president, at polling places set up abroad. The country's electoral court and the nearest consulate have details on where to vote.

If you have Brazilian friends or coworkers, Sunday may be an important day for them. Asking how they are following the vote is a friendly way to show interest without taking sides.