This article engages in critical discussion of the perception, common in studies on the Brazilian electoral system, that proportional representation with open lists is an effective obstacle to accountability. Such a perception is, to a large extent, based on mistaken views of the character of electoral ties in Brazil and the sense of accountability, seen as a relationship between voters and their candidates rather than between constituencies and their representatives. A focus on the flaws in the electoral system, on the other hand, leads to obfuscation of other aspects that are more important for perfecting representation, related to the democratization of information and the strengthening of civil society. Problems identified on open lists are better confronted by widening public debate and strengthening civil society, which would enable voters to take a more consistent advantage of the opportunities for choice that are offered to them, wider than those that exist in other electoral systems.
political representation; accountability; electoral systems