Voting Day: Thursday or Sunday?

In the UK, polling day is traditionally on a Thursday. Historically, this is because Thursday was market day so outlying villagers were more likely to be in town to vote.

But elections can, in theory, be held on any day. In the US, they take place on a Tuesday. In much of Europe elections are held over a weekend, or on a Sunday.

The advantage with weekend elections is that a lot of people won't be at work. The disadvantage is that they may be away, and the same problem as with Thursdays will arise in that there are plenty of other calls on our time whenever elections are held. And, if we were to move to Sunday voting, that may create problems for the devoutly religious, among others.

The government has just launched a consultation on these issues. You can download the consultation briefing here. Remember: decisions are made by those who turn up.