Aussies don’t wear pants to vote

During my blog hiatus earlier this year, I made a note of a few things I wanted to blog about. While this isn’t timely, I still think it’s worth talking about 🙂

If you aren’t aware, back in May Australia went to the polls for our federal election. Don’t worry, this isn’t about politics, rather, about the way Aussies went to vote…without pants. There is a reason why hundreds turned out, pantless, to vote – even though election day was cool and wet across a lot of Australia.

Aussie swimwear brand Budgy Smuggler put a social media call out the week prior encouraging people to “exercise their constitutional right to vote without pants on”. The company offered a free pair to anyone voting without pants and posting a photo with the hashtag #SmugglersDecide.

Australia didn’t disappoint.

“We thought maybe one or two would do it … hundreds have turned out,” Budgy Smuggler owner Adam Linforth said. “It’s going to be an expensive day for Budgy Smuggler.” (If you are wondering, they honoured their promise.)

Before we get to the photos, just in case you were wondering, a budgie smuggler is Aussie slang for a male speedo style swimmer, called that because it looks like they’re smuggling budgies in there 😉

Aussie larrikinism at its finest. Love it.

Would you vote with no pants?

Photos from news.com.au.

Aussies were encouraged to vote ‘without pants on’. Picture: Instagram
Budgy Smuggler said ‘hundreds’ had answered the call. Picture: Instagram
Voters inside Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club. Picture: James D. Morgan/Getty Images
It’s been raining and cold across much of the country. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts
It was a popular stunt in Bondi. Picture: James D. Morgan/Getty Images
Another voter at Bondi Beach. Picture: Steven Saphore/AFP

8 comments on “Aussies don’t wear pants to vote

  1. That’s hilarious! Love it. There’d be a problem if we did this in Canada during a winter election. The budgies would turn into hummingbirds, at the very least 😉.

    Deb

  2. Hoo boy. Not ready for that!

    • I’d go barefoot (if you notice, those pantless aren’t the only ones shoeless), but I’d wear pants.

  3. I could see us doing that in California. Although, we can now do mail in voting, so it wouldn’t have the same impact, voting pantless from home.

    • We can do postal votes and early voting, but a lot still do on the day voting (there’s the whole democratic sausage to buy, after all).

  4. Hah! I’m so glad people took the challenge. It made for some very funny pictures!
    Pants on for me, always! Although like Liz, we have mail in voting. But If I were brave, I could walk to the mailbox 😉

    • I had no idea about it until that night, but I am glad they did too. It made for a break from all the political reporting.

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