While there is no definitive reason why elections in England always take place on Thursdays, when asked, different political heads and notable figures throughout England give different reasons as to why this occurs. A British entrepreneur explains that elections took place on any day of the work week —or sometimes even Saturdays—up until 1935. Elections have taken place on Wednesdays every year except two, one of which was when the World Cup started on a Thursday. He reasons that elections take place on Thursdays in today’s government because payday is on Friday, and it acts as a reward for completing your duty as a citizen to vote. He believes that if payday were to be on a different day of the week, the election day would reflect that.
Another wealthy entrepreneur, who has even been knighted due to his charitable service, reasons that Thursday is the chosen day for elections simply because it is the most common day for businesses in England to close early, and this gives people more time to get to the polls. E.M. Syddique, a member of the Electoral Reform Society in London, believes the choice of Thursday dates back to 1918, when the Representation of the People Act required that polling be restricted to one day, instead of how it had been, over the course of several days. He believes that Thursday was the furthest day from any possible influences, such as drinking on payday, or being pressured by the clergy at Sunday services.
Other common theories amongst citizens of England? Some think that elections are on Thursdays so that the new Prime Minister has time to choose their Cabinet members—or just celebrate and get drunk—over the weekend, in time to start a new business week on Monday. Others feel that Thursday is simply the day that most people are in town and available to vote. Many people agree with E.M. Syddique, in that Thursday is far enough from Sunday that the church will not have a strong impact on the electors and their voting decisions. Voters and researchers do realize that many of the possible reasons for the Thursday decision are outdated. Thursday was a day for early closing in retail, but now most stores are open seven days a week. Friday was the day for pay packets, which are no longer the common method by which employees are paid. All of these reasons are considered as possibilities for the tradition of Thursday elections, but the government has not given one sole, official reason.