Here in New South Wales, we're anticipating a state election this weekend. As usual, the schools, churches and other places where the voting takes place will often have a sausage sizzle/barbecue as a fund raiser. There's even a website devoted to locating polling stations with sausage sizzles. It's often said no public function in Oz is complete without a sausage sizzle. Some people even go to a large hardware store on Saturdays purely for the sizzle often held there as a fundraiser for an organisation even though they need nothing from the store.

I wonder if other countries do this, or is having a barbecue at a polling station a unique Aussie tradition? I can imagine our Kiwi cousins doing the same, but what about countries other than the Antipodes? Oh, I could go a sausage sanger right now!

Well, in Britain polling officials don't take kindly to unorthodox activities near the polling stations ... and they might suspect the worst and even call the boys 'n' girls in blue.

Plus the only thing the British would want to roast at a polling station barbie would be the politicians.

Even though they'd taste horrid!

Taste horrid? They'd make people very ill indeed!

You can't roast comedians either. They taste funny. Shame you don't have a little bit of pleasure on polling day, though. I'm sure thousands upon thousands of dollars are raised across the state/nation on election day. Might be the one good thing to happen all day

I've never heard of it being done here, and I wonder if it would be considered as an attempt to influence the vote, which is not allowed near polling places.

The fund raising is done by the school or church where the polling booth is located. You have to pay for the food so it's not like they can 'buy' influence. No electioneering material can be within the boundary of the location and it's strictly enforced. Maybe we Aussies are too blasé to worry about such things as long as we've got a barbie nearby. Just get in, vote, have a sanger!

I've done postal voting for years now but I have gone to a polling booth on election and had a sausage sandwich just because.

I have been an 'official' at elections here and the voters get nothing but the helpers (in my particular area) get a great slap up lunch (with wine if you want it), lots of tea/coffee, biscuits and cakes and if on the morning shift, croissants and strawberry jam.

Tizza - Aussies will use any excuse to have a barbie. Having to vote is just another one

Americans want to barbecue their politicans too...