Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio push for heavy voter turnout in Brazil

Hollywood stars Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo DiCaprio are using their celebrity clout to push Brazillian people for voter registration. With elections coming up soon, the intervention of celebrities has triggered dismissive responses from President Jair Bolsonaro.

DiCaprio sent out three social media posts on Wednesday, all of them written in Portuguese, and urged Brazillian people to get themselves registered for voting.

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“It’s beautiful to see Brazilian youth taking on the defense of democracy and the planet”, one of the tweets read after being translated to English.

The Hollywood star added in a separate post, “Young people aged 16 and 17 have the power to help build Brazil’s future. To exercise this power, you need to register to vote by 23:59 today.”

Ruffalo has also used social media, retweeting to his 8 million followers a selection of short comic videos made by Brazilian teenagers explaining how to register.

“Let’s rock this campaign! Democracy and the planet win,” Ruffalo wrote on May 1, using the trending hashtag #TiraOTituloHoje, which translates as #RegisterToVoteToday.

DiCaprio, who also identifies himself as an environmental and climate change activist, has beefed with Brazillian President Bolsonaro before. The two feuded over Brazil’s attempt to cut down more of the Amazon rainforest for developmental purposes.

Bolsonaro previously accused DiCaprio of having ties with groups that were allegedly responsible for forest fires in the Amazon. The Brazillian president provided no proof to base his claims.

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Why is there an external push for voting?

Brazil has laws in place that make voting mandatory for every eligible individual who is aged between 18 and 70. Those who fall out of this age bracket, including 16 and 17-year-olds, are not obligated. The upcoming election is expected to revolve around Brazil’s youth.

Those who fail to vote are liable to pay a fine. However, with the fine at 70 cents, most people do not bother to show up and cast ballots.