Australia chooses: Curiosity in Down Under: Democracy sausage on election day

The seductive fragrance sizzling sausages is an integral part of any choice in Australia. Traditionally, a grill stands in front of many polling stations where the citizens can strengthen themselves with a kind of hot dog (bratwurst in soft rolls with onions, mustard and ketchup): the so -called “democracy sausage”.

Tradition is now also popular far beyond the borders of Down Under: Even at the Australian research station Casey Station in Antarctica, there should be democracy sausages for the telephone letting.

Nowadays there are also vegetarian alternatives and stands with coffee and cake. At the barbecues, schools and community groups collect donations for charitable purposes.

“Don’t forget to support your community and get a democracy sausage or a piece of cake when you are there!”, The Australian election commission wrote to X. Around 18 million Australians are called to choose a new parliament by evening.

Where does the term come from?

According to the Museum of Australian Democracy, the term democracy sausage around 2010 was created when all polling stations with grill stands were listed in Brisbane on a website. The expression was quickly named HIT and in 2016 by the Australian National Dictionary the word of the year. For the current vote, volunteers created a nationwide map on which more than 2,500 grill stands are marked.

While the word is relatively new, the treats themselves have been part of every urn for many years. This also has to do with the fact that there is an obligation to vote in Australia and therefore there is always a big crowd. The barbecues for charity purposes are therefore extremely lucrative. The grill sausages are “practically part of the Australian constitution”, joked volunteers on the website “Democracy Sausage” on X.