Australians sizzle on election day with democracy sausage and budgy smugglers

SYDNEY – Australians fired up barbecues and wore tight-fitting swimming trunks called “budgie smugglers” to voting centres as they welcomed election day on May 3 with some unique and quirky traditions.

Voters across the country grabbed “democracy sausages”, which are sausages, burgers or other barbecued meat sold by volunteers at polling booths, as they turned out to cast their ballots.

This Australian election day ritual was a talking point on social media as voters posted pictures and videos with their snacks in hand under the #democracysausage hashtag.

“You do your democratic duty, you get a snack while you wait, and you also raise a bit of money for charity,” said Mr Nick Fabbri, a voter in the Bondi area of Sydney, adding that money from the sales would go to the local surf club.

A resident named Sue, who moved to Australia from Wisconsin in the United States in 2019, said that although early voting was available, she decided to vote on election day to get the full experience.

“People said ‘vote early’, but we wanted to come and get a democracy sausage,” said Sue, who did not give her full name. She was voting at the Bourke Street Public School in Sydney.

By afternoon the sausages were running out as more voters tried to get a quick snack.

“The perfect democracy sausage is one that’s available,” said Mr Andy H., a voter in Melbourne.

“I missed out today, but my daughter got a democracy cupcake – does that count?”

Meanwhile, at polling booths near Australia’s famed beaches, including Bondi Beach in Sydney, some swimmers cast their ballots after a dip wearing brief-style swimming trunks locally called “budgie smugglers”.

An Australian swimwear brand called Budgy Smuggler ran a campaign offering a free pair to the first 200 people who voted