SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australians fired up barbecues and wore tight-fit swim trunks called “budgy smugglers” to voting centres as they welcomed election day on Saturday with some unique and quirky traditions.
Voters across the country grabbed a “democracy sausage”, which is 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 snack in hand under the #democracysausage.
“You do your democratic duty, you get a snack while you wait, and you also raise a bit of money for charity,” said Nick Fabbri, a voter in the Bondi area of Sydney, adding that money from the sales would go to the local surf club.
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 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, some swimmers cast their ballots after a dip wearing brief-style swimming trunks locally called “budgy smugglers”.
An Australian swim wear brand called Budgy Smuggler ran a campaign offering a free pair to the first 200 people who voted in smugglers.
“It’s a very Australian thing,” said Fabbri.
“It’s a little bit revealing and may be confronting for some of your viewers. But a lot people here come out of the water and come and vote. I think it’s a nice statement of Australian democracy.”
Voting began on Saturday in Australia’s national election that polls show will likely favour Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over conservative challenger Peter Dutton, with voter appetite for change dampened by worries over U.S. tariffs and global economic uncertainty.
(Reporting by Cordelia Hsu, Zahra Matarani and Christine Chen in Sydney; Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Peter Hobson in Canberra; writing by Praveen Menon; editing by Stephen Coates)
