UNTIL 1918, polling at General Elections took place over several days and at one time different constituencies could complete polling on different days, thereby - it was alleged - creating a bandwagon effect for a successful political party. read more
Long ago, before we lived in a 24-hour society, the financial markets and civil service were civilised places to work. They finished at 5 and started at 9 with weekends off. The idea was to disrupt government as little as possible with elections so they were held on a Thursday. read more
The last general election not on held a Thursday was on October 27, 1931 — which was a Tuesday. The last Parliamentary by-election not on a Thursday was the poll in Hamilton in May 1978, when the returning officer moved it to Wednesday to avoid a clash with the first game of the football World Cup. read more