ESTUDO COMPARATIVO DE ABSTENÇÕES EM URNAS ELETRÔNICAS CONFORME A ESCOLARIDADE DO ELEITOR, NO ESTADO DE MATO GROSSO DO SUL: de 2012 à 2024.

The empirical focus of this research is the relationship between educational attainment and voter abstention in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, contextualizing the paradox between the high digital maturity of the electoral system (e.g., electronic voting machines) and the persistence of 29 million digitally excluded Brazilians, many with low educational levels. The main objective is to verify whether voter abstention is higher among voters with up to elementary education, analyzing data from 2012 to 2024. The theoretical framework draws on international literature and studies linking low educational attainment to limited digital skills and political participation. The methodology combined a literature review and quantitative analysis of secondary data from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), categorizing abstentions by educational level. Municipal, state, and federal elections were analyzed, cross-referencing abstention rates with educational profiles. Results revealed that illiterate voters or those with incomplete elementary education had the highest abstention rates (up to 56.06% in 2022), while those with complete higher education had the lowest (10.18% to 17.02%). The analysis supported the hypothesis that low educational attainment, linked to digital exclusion, limits political engagement. The study identified limitations, such as reliance on secondary data, which hindered deeper exploration of individual motivations. It concludes that while Brazil’s digital electoral system is efficient, its equity depends on integrated public policies combining universal internet access, digital literacy programs, and educational improvements. Future studies using primary data are recommended to explore intervening socioeconomic and cultural variables.