How senators are elected in 2026

How many senators are elected in 2026?

In 2026, 54 Senate seats are up for election: two per state and two in the Federal District. The other 27 seats belong to senators elected in 2022, whose terms run until 2031.

The 2026 election renews two-thirds of the Senate. For that reason, not every seat changes hands at each election.

The renewal is partial: at each general election, some seats are contested while the rest keep the terms already underway. As a result, the Senate changes gradually rather than all at once.

How is each senator chosen?

In each state, the two most-voted candidates are elected. There is no runoff for the Senate, and the election is decided in the first round.

The results by state show the two winners and each one's percentage. These figures are at https://eleicoes2026brasil.com/senado.

A candidate who finishes third or lower is not elected to the Senate in that state, and there is no new vote to try for the seat.

Who are the alternates?

Each senator is elected with two alternates. They take over the seat if the senator leaves it, in the cases provided for in the Federal Constitution.

To understand how an alternate takes office, see the guide at https://eleicoes2026brasil.com/guias/o-que-e-suplente.

Alternates are elected together with the senator, in the same election. The Senate vote result is given only for the two most-voted candidates in each state, with no runoff.

When do elected senators take office?

Elected senators and federal deputies begin the new legislature on February 1, 2027.

The diplomation ceremony, at which winners receive their certificates, takes place in December, on dates set by the TSE calendar. For the exact date, check the TSE portal.

Anyone who wants to follow the diplomation can check the TSE calendar, which sets the dates for each stage. Official results by state remain available at https://resultados.tse.jus.br.

Why does each state elect two senators?

The Senate represents the states, so each unit elects the same number of senators regardless of population. In 2026, there are two seats per state and two in the Federal District.

Because the election renews two-thirds of the Senate, each state with a seat up for election elects two names at once. For that reason, the results table always shows pairs of winners.

This representation rule is the same in every state, which is why the senators table always has two rows per unit.

How do you read the Senate result?

On the Senate page, each state appears with its two winners and each one's share of the vote. Because two senators are elected per state, neither needs to reach 50% to win.

For example, in Acre, Marcio Bittar (PL) was elected with 30.7% of the vote and Mara Rocha (Republicanos) with 21.5%. The other states appear on the Senate page of Brazil Election 2026.

Sources

Federal Constitution: https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/constituicao.htm

Superior Electoral Court: https://www.tse.jus.br