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Before 1918, general elections in the UK were spread over multiple weeks, as each constituency's returning officer could choose their own nomination and polling days.
Pleased to share a short piece by me on the long life (and quiet death) of the long #generalelection
Somewhat ironically, the article is only free to read for a week...
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/end-britains-weeks-long-general-elections
@PMKeeling @histodons Interesting that the first one-day election in 1918 was held on a Saturday. In Australia we have our elections on Saturdays.
It's the only GE to have been held on a Saturday. By 1945 the UK had settled on Thursdays, but no-one has worked out why this decision was made. Sundays have always been forbidden, and today Saturdays are too (unlike most of the rest of the world, I think).
@PMKeeling @histodons IMO Saturday is a good day for it; off work for most people, and schools are free to act as polling places.
I think you are right, but I don't think there's much chance of a change anytime soon.
In the '70s there was a proposal to make polling day a bank holiday. This was quickly shelved, in part because the government feared people would take the Friday off as well, and go to the seaside instead...
@PMKeeling @histodons Ha. Our state government in Victoria has made the day before the Aussie rules football grand final a public holiday. Very low bar. :)