On Wednesday, I posted my vote for the forthcoming federal election (Saturday 3 May 2025).
In Australia, voting is compulsory; unlike in many other countries, elections are held on Saturdays.
To “celebrate” voting, I made myself a “democracy” sausage for lunch today.
The Democracy Sausage
While ballots and debates are part of Australian democracy, voting is enhanced with a “democracy sausage.” This term suggests community, participation, and irreverence to politics.
The Origin of the Term
The phrase “democracy sausage” emerged from combining voting with a sausage sizzle. Community groups and volunteers set up barbecues outside polling stations on election day. These sausage sizzles often feature sausages served on bread—a convenient snack for voters stopping before or after casting their ballots. This practice may provide extra incentive for some people to vote, and for some, it fosters a sense of camaraderie. Over time, fundraising or community-support activity evolved into a symbol, so the sausage became synonymous with engaging in democracy. At election times, X (new Twitter) has an emoji for the occasion.
What Does It Mean?
For political dreamers and commune enthusiasts, the democracy sausage is more than a food item; it is a metaphor for inclusivity and celebration in the democratic process. Cynically, because voting is compulsory in Australia and held on a Saturday, it’s an excuse to make the most of the time spent waiting in a queue to vote. You can scoff (eat (something) quickly and greedily) a snag while in line and then ditch the crappy ultra processed white bread (which is useful for preventing greasy fingers) in the ballot box. Some believe it underscores that voting and civic participation need not be solemn or exclusively bureaucratic. Others (definitely not me) believe these occasions can be vibrant, community-driven events that bring people together. Enjoying a sausage on election day has come to represent the idea that democracy is accessible, that every citizen has a role to play, and that participating in government can be as informal and enjoyable as sharing a meal with friends and neighbours. This is the type of spin that so-called communications experts come up with. Cynically, the sausages aren’t free, so someone is profiting from poor quality food.
When Are Democracy Sausages Eaten?
The tradition of the democracy sausage is intrinsically linked to election day in Australia. Whether it’s a federal, state, or local election, polling stations traditionally become hubs of civic activity. As voters enter the ballot box, many encounter the aroma of sizzling sausages, with food stalls or pop-up barbecues offering a greasy snag wrapped in a slice of dry bread. This ritual, observed every election day, has become an unofficial part of our electoral process.
Media and Social Media Portrayal
The democracy sausage has become an icon embraced and celebrated by various media channels. Traditional media outlets often report on the best local sausage sizzles during election coverage—a counterbalance to political debates and polling statistics. In parallel, social media platforms play a role in popularising the tradition. On election day, hashtags trend on X (nee Twitter). Instagram posts and Facebook updates showcase voters enjoying their sausage snacks, sharing the festive spirit with humorous captions and artistic photos. The phenomenon has inspired everything from memes and digital art to dedicated online maps that help locate the best sausage-fest events near polling stations.
Conclusion
The democracy sausage is a symbol—a reminder that we can poke fun at democracy. From its origins at neighbourhood barbecues to its representation in media and social media, the democracy sausage focuses our attention on a long, hot cylinder of meat and some questionable bits and pieces rather than politics.
What is most disturbing to me is the existence of vegan sausages.
My democracy sausage
I like a spicy sausage, and I want it to be quite firm. In my mind, a Kransky suits me nicely.
Although I generally avoid bread, I decided to buy a single bread roll as a gesture of living in a free society. If it had been possible to purchase just one slice of bread, I would have chosen that instead, but unfortunately, bread is only sold in loaves.
To make it more palatable and satisfy my craving for fried bread, I soaked the bread roll in a mixture of beef fat and butter and added cheese at the end.
Cooking the meal on a covered barbecue grill (Weber Q+) ensured that the “fried” bread was crispy and crunchy and that the sausage was cooked evenly.
It was delicious, although I recognise that the carbohydrate load and ultra-processed nature of the edible ingredients (apart from the butter and beef fat) were not the best. I’ve voted and I won’t feel the urge to do this again for a long time.
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