While it can be meaningful and satisfying to exercise your franchise on Election Day, the drudgery of standing in line at the polls is about as exciting as waiting at the DMV.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
Our Aussie friends have struck on something that should be replicated in every polling place in America — Democracy Sausage.
What is a democracy sausage? In Australia, it’s the snack sizzling at polling stations nationwide, doubling as a fundraising opportunity and a tasty symbol of civic pride.#Democracysausage #australia #electionday #voting pic.twitter.com/6oJVquf0iZ
— Brut America (@brutamerica) May 10, 2025
That's right. When you show up to cast your vote in Australia, you can purchase a delicious sausage sandwich. Private groups run the stands to raise funds for their various organizations and sometimes offer other treats, like cake.
No one’s sure who coined the term democracy sausage. But fundraising snacks have been served at Australia’s voting booths for close to a century, said Judith Brett, a professor of politics at Melbourne’s LaTrobe University and author of the book “From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting.”
What began with polling place bake sales in the 1920s became election day sausage sizzles in the 1980s with the invention of the portable barbeque grill. The democracy sausage’s success is partly because of how Australia votes.
Elections always occur on Saturdays and are family affairs — voters arrive with their children and dogs. And turning up to vote is required by law, resulting in turnouts higher than 90% and ensuring a captive market for democracy sausage sales.
My AI assistant at Grok describes the gastronomic delicacies:
- The Sausage: A grilled beef or pork sausage, usually a standard supermarket snag, cooked on a BBQ by volunteers. It’s not gourmet—think simple, slightly charred, and juicy.
- The Bread: A single slice of white sandwich bread, folded around the sausage. Sometimes you’ll get a soft bun instead, but the classic is basic sliced bread. No crusty artisan loaves here.
- The Sauce: Tomato sauce (ketchup to non-Aussies) is the go-to, squirted generously. Some stalls offer barbecue sauce or mustard, but tomato is king.
- The Onions: Grilled onions, soft and caramelized, piled on top. They’re optional but a crowd favorite.
- The Vibe: Handed over on a napkin or paper plate, often by a local school or community group raising funds. You eat it standing around, chatting about the election or the footy.
["Footy," I learned today, is Aussie slang for what they call football (soccer).]
This is how we vote in Australia, paper ballot, no big queues (because of pre-poll voting), friendly chit chat and a delicious democracy sausage sanga after, where the money raised goes directly to the school where we voted #Auspol25 #democracysausage pic.twitter.com/fJYx91pLLZ
— Leeza 😎🪷🗽 (@Lisabiartch) May 3, 2025
State election laws vary in the United States, but among those with rules banning solicitation around polling places, most set a perimeter, outside of which Democracy Sausage could be grilled and sold—let's call ours Freedom Sausage. Think how much more festive voting could be with the addition of some artery-clogging treats!
In Australia, there's even a website to help voters find election day sausage stands. According to its crowd-sourced data, there are 2,700 voting locations with "sausage sizzles," and nearly half of all voters have "access" to the fare. In addition, the site tracks "cake stalls" (I need this in my life), vegetarian and halal options, and breakfast foods.
All this got me thinking: We could do this one better in the U.S. by adding the most American food of all—BACON.
I saw a post on Facebook yesterday about a restaurant that offers "walking bacon" to customers who purchase burgers. I have no idea if that's a real thing, but it should be. "I'll have a Freedom Sausage" with four slices of walking bacon—and throw in a slice of lemon cake."
MEGA — Make Elections Great Again!
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