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This comes as the country's 200 million people continue to recession, rising insecurity, and a massive corruption scandal that rocked political and financial institutions.
Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro is leading the polls ahead of Fernando Haddad, a leftist ex-Sao Paulo Mayor. Bolsonaro won the first round of the elections this month amid a field of 13 candidates. But he fell short of the 50% needed to win outright and avoid a runoff against Haddad, from the Workers' Party.
"This has been an unprecedented election," said Marco Antonio Teixeira, a political science professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. "The rhetoric used by both candidates in the campaign has been extremely aggressive."
Politically motivated violence
That hostility has been over the streets. Dozens of politically motivated acts of violence have been registered by voters, journalist and politicians.
Bolsonaro, 63, was stabbed in the stomach last month during a rally in the city of Juiz de Fora, in Minas Gerais state.
The incident took him back. But it was strengthened his position among Brazilians looking for a change.
At a recent pro-Bolsonaro rally in Sao Paulo, Marta Santos Navarro told CNN she will vote for the army captain because she's "gambling on something new."
"We can not tolerate so much corruption anymore," Navarro said. "We want change."
Others fear the election could lead to more discrimination and hate crimes.
Bolsonaro's increased visibility as a social media backbone known as #elenao, or #nothim, which has gained support throughout the country and internationally.
During his tour, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters exhibited the slogan on stage in neon lights and chanted "ele nao" with the crowd.
Compared to Trump
Bolsonaro, who has been compared to US President Donald Trump and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, has stirred controversy by making misogynistic, racist and homophobic remarks.
He once told a congresswoman that she did not want to be raped because she was "very ugly," Brazil's TV Globo reported.
He also said publicly he'd prefer to see his "die in an accident" than a member of his family is homosexual.
"This negative discourse is spreading is killing people," Felipe Lago, a 29-year-old fashion producer told CNN. "If he wins, who knows what will happen to us?"
Lago created an Instagram account called "elenaovaoinosmatar," or "will not kill us" in English, shortly after being verbally assaulted and threatened by a group of Bolsonaro supporters for being gay.
"Although I was scared, I decided to post it on Facebook," Lago said. "I got a lot of responses from friends and others saying the same thing happened to them."
His Instagram account has more than 100,000 followers and includes the following.
In their final days on the campaign trail, both Bolsonaro and Haddad asked their supporters not to engage in violence.
'Fake news' scandal
Laura Chinchilla, head of the Organization of American States mission of observers for the Sunday election, said she worries about a "phenomenon" seen throughout the campaign.
"Chinchilla told local media Thursday in Sao Paulo." The phenomenon we see in Brazil may be the first of its kind, essentially because it's different from other countries in other countries.
Most of the campaigns targeted Haddad 's Workers' Party, Folha de Sao Paulo reported.
The tactic is considered illegal, according to the Folha de Sao Paulo investigation.
Facebook also shut down several groups and user accounts in Brazil this week after identifying them as "fake accounts," according to a statement by the social media company.
"Authenticity is a core value at Facebook." It's why we ask that people use their real names and why we prohibit their misrepresenting their identity, "the statement said.
"Today, we are in the process of being abused, Facebook removed 68 Pages and 43 accounts associated with a Brazilian marketing group, Raposo Fernandes Associados (FRG), for violating our misrepresentation and spam policies."
The RFA group has created several pro-Bolsonaro pages and groups, including fake media organizations, magazines, political groups and television stations.
Bolsonaro's supporters believe the Whatsapp and Facebook scandals were created by Haddad's Workers' Party (PT) as a distraction because they are trailing in the polls. They also have Folha de Sao Paulo of being biased and issued threats against journalists involved in the investigation.
"There is no proof whatsoever," Fabio Silveira, an engineer, said during a recent pro-Bolsonaro event. "This is one of the PT's strategies." "They've reached a point where they realize they can not win the image of the opposition candidate with false stories."
Keeping out the Workers' Party
For some Brazilians, like teacher Alexander Vastella, voting for Bolsonaro is more about keeping the Workers' Party (PT) out of office.
"I want Bolsonaro to be President, not because he's the ideal person, but because we can not risk letting the PT back in power," Vastella told CNN. "Sure, all of the major parts are corrupt but the PT created an infrastructure of corruption."
The Workers' Party governed Brazil for more than 13 years under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from 2003 to 2011, and his successor Dilma Rousseff, from 2011 to 2016.
Lula, as he is popularly known, has helped millions of Brazilians out of poverty.
Many politicians, including Lula, were caught in a wide-ranging, 4-year anti-graft probe known as "Operation Car Wash." He was arrested in April and given a 12-year sentence for corruption and money laundering.
Despite the arrest, Lula was running for a third term and leading the way in September. His running mate, Haddad, replaced him on the ballot and became his party's default candidate.
Compulsory voting
Voting is compulsory in Brazil, which means everyone must submit a ballot on Election Day. Some undecided voters, like Sao Paulo resident Mauricio Soares, are choosing to vote null or blank.
"The decision of voting null after a lot of thought and I am firm in my decision," Soares told CNN. "I am not neutral I am positioning myself against both candidates."
Teixeira, the professor, said the winner must bridge the divide caused by the campaign.
"If there is more to the governors for his supporters, there will be a greater chance of success," Teixeira said.
CNN's Flora Charner reported and wrote from Atlanta and CNN's Marcia Reverdosa reported from Sao Paulo. CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report.
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