Continuity in Legislatures: Brazil | Luiz Fernando Bandeira

Mr. Luiz Fernando Bandeira (@LuizFBandeira), Secretary General of the Board of the Brazilian Senate, speaks about the Senate’s remote deliberation system (SDR).

Key Takeaways:

• The SDR is made up four components: 1) videoconferencing tool 2) remote protocol tool for organizing ideas and amendments from Senators 3) secure remote voting tool and 4) set of operational guidelines.
• Senators who do not have an internet-connected device can dial-in to the system using a toll-free telephone number and access code.
• All deliberation, convening, and voting in the Senate is now remote via the SDR. One new Senator was even sworn in during a remote session.
• The Senate leadership, along with a support crew, manages the remote plenary sessions from a room equipped with work stations and video screens. They moderate the session, perform record-keeping, and count votes.
• For voting, Senators log in to an online application where they place their votes. Senators authenticate their votes by uploading a photo of themselves and enter a confirmation code sent via text or WhatsApp.

This post is part of a series on the Continuity of Legislatures. Find the whole series here.