Prepoll voting blamed for slump in election day sausage sales at Erina

A record number of Australians voted before today’s federal election and it seems to have taken a toll at a school sausage stall at the most used polling station in the marginal seat of Robertson.

• Where is the best democracy sausage?

An unprecedented surge in prepoll voting could spell the demise of the democracy sausage if the very quiet start at Erina High School is anything to go by.

The polling centre at Erina has traditionally had the largest number of voters in the seat of Robertson with almost 900 through the doors by 11am this morning.

But numbers were not looking so good over at the barbecue stall for Erina High Junior Leadership team were hoping to raise funds for a water bottle refill station and a bike rack for the school.

Crowd numbers for the stall had not improved a great deal even by 11am.

One of the volunteers who preferred not to be named said it was “really quiet compared to previous years” and said they thought it might be to do with prepoll voting.

“We previously raised 1200 and at the last Federal election there was a line going right around the corner,” the volunteer said.

“Prepoll voting really seems to be having an impact.”

Point Clare Junior Guide Lily Walsh selling biccies on election day.

The volunteer said the Rotary Club had run a stall at the State election back in March and had also reported disappointing sales.

However, with 25 students working on the stall throughout the day - organisers were hopeful there would be a lunch time spike in sales of their top selling sausage sandwich.

Joshua Bourne of 1st Point Clare Scouts cooking up the democracy sausages.

Meanwhile, things were going a bit better over at Point Clare where Point Clare Junior Guides were running a cake and biccie stall along side 1st Point Clare Scouts who were churning out the democracy sausages.

Organisers reported similar sales to p[revious elections, although they said numbers were always boosted by the walkers and cyclists who passed by their hall in the park.