As political tensions escalate across Australia, even the humble democracy sausage is under threat, and Kiama’s tradition of good-natured community stalls is quietly disappearing.

It should be one of the most feel-good days on the calendar. A simple civic ritual. Cast your vote, grab a snag, buy a cake, have a chat. But this year, something feels different. And not in a good way.

In the Kiama LGA, only two of our eight polling booths are currently listed on the Democracy Sausage map.

Others may well be planning stalls, but if they are, they are not appearing publicly.

At Jamberoo, the P and C will be running the barbeque, and the Red Cross will offer cakes and crafts. Beyond that, the silence is noticeable.

Why? Partly because it no longer feels safe or welcoming for everyone.

Across the country, the Australian Electoral Commission has received reports of verbal abuse, racial slurs, intimidation and even physical violence at polling places.

In marginal seats like Kiama, voters are often forced to push through a corridor of how-to-vote volunteers, many of whom are enthusiastic, but some of whom have been reported to have crossed the line into aggressive behaviour.

Even the most civically minded voters might now want to get in, cast their vote and get out. No sausage, no cake, no conversation.

But there is another factor at play. Reverend Kath Merrifield, minister at the Kiama Uniting Church polling booth offered this reflection.

“I think the democracy sausage is also feeling threatened by early voting. Because so many are pre-polling, there are fewer people to come through on election day. There are still many folk who will vote and plan to have a sausage or buy something from the stall, just not so many of them.”

She also reminds us that it is not just voters who benefit. “Of course, there are also the electoral officers and pamphlet people who all need feeding.”

Alex Dawson, one of the founders of the Democracy Sausage website, agrees the stakes are higher than the snack. “Sausages are the clear winner all over the nation,” he says. “They create a space where volunteers can connect with voters on something positive, a smile, a sizzle, a shared moment of community.”

In 2022, more than 2.5 million people visited the Democracy Sausage site. “We started the site to meet a need, the need to have a sausage with our voting,” Alex says. “And we know millions of Australians feel the same.”

But the effort takes volunteers. “A sausage at every booth might not be possible just yet,” Alex says. “But we salute the communities who keep the tradition alive.”

In Jamberoo, they are doing just that. And perhaps the best way to reclaim the joy of voting is not through legislation, but through onions and tomato sauce.