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This article reports the results of a field study on mobilization and electoral choice in a poor neighbourhood of Brasilia during the 2010 elections. The main purpose of the article is to explain the very high participation rate recorded in this highly populated area where people are weakly politicized. The ‘compulsory’ dimension of the vote is an essential factor and a powerful incentive for candidates to attract even the less-politicized citizens. Our in-situ observations show that very high participation rates result in large part from intense campaigning based primarily on clientelist transactions, face-to-face interactions, and the presence of more or less professionalized ‘election agents’ who are well integrated into local society.