If There Must Be an Early Election, Could It Please Be in June, When Perth Can Find Its Polling Station?

By Alasdair Kerr, Perthetic Economics Columnist

Westminster is buzzing with talk of an early election, despite the government’s denials. I am not here to talk about who would win. I am here to talk about the dark.

A winter election costs a fortune. There are the head torches for canvassers. There are the extra leaflets, because half of them blow away in the wind. And there is the lost productivity of thousands of Perth voters walking round a school in the rain trying to find the door with “Polling Station” on it.

In June, everyone can see the sign. In December, you could walk straight past it and into the janitor’s cupboard. I once voted in a cupboard. I think it counted.

There is also the issue of cheer. Nobody wants to vote in December. People want to buy presents and complain about the cost of a turkey. An election just adds another thing to complain about.

So my advice, as an economist, is simple: if you must, do it in summer. The leaflets stay dry. The sign is visible. And the counting is finished before it gets dark, which in Perth in June is around 11pm.

The real story: UK politics (BBC)