Exclusion in Fine Print: Antidemocratic Ideals and Strategies for Electoral Exclusion in Brazil, 1881–1930

At the turn of the twentieth century, while many nations were expanding their democratic franchises, Brazil enacted restrictive electoral reforms that severely limited voter participation. This chapter explores these antidemocratic strategies, focusing on reforms in 1881, 1904, and 1916. Ostensibly aimed at reducing electoral fraud, these reforms instead created bureaucratic barriers that excluded the poor, illiterate, and Afro-descendant populations from voting. Rooted in a so-called conservative liberalism resistant to democratisation, these measures reflected a deliberate effort by the political elite to maintain control. Through an analysis of parliamentary debates and electoral data, the chapter reveals the intentional tactics used to restrict suffrage. These exclusionary practices entrenched structural inequalities and weakened Brazil’s democratic institutions, contributing to the political instability that culminated in the First Republic’s overthrow in 1930. The study underscores how the calculated restriction of voting rights perpetuated social disparities and hindered the expansion of political participation in Brazil, shaping the nation’s political landscape for decades to come.