General Election: Why do we always vote on a Thursday?

The French elect their presidents on a Sunday. In the US, it is the first Tuesday after November 1. But in the UK, citizens always go to the polls on a Thursday – and they have since the 1930s. But why?

The reasons are disputed. One theory blames pubs and religion. Since Sundays were often a day on which people went to church, there were concerns congregants could have their votes swayed by sermons.

Choosing Friday would leave voters plenty of days to forget without intruding on the weekend – but, since Friday was often a day given to drinking in the pub, Thursday was deemed more sensible.

Another theory suggests a practical reason: Thursdays would often be market day and so people were more likely to already be travelling into town.

The third claims the move was all about ensuring a neat transition of power. After counting through the night, the result could be announced on Friday morning. This would give a new prime minister all Friday to select their ministers and form a government, before relaxing for a weekend and beginning the business of governing on Monday.

For whatever reason, the convention has persisted for decades – and you can bet “strong and stable” Theresa May didn’t pause for a moment to consider breaking from tradition when she announced next Thursday’s snap poll.