Sausage sizzles everywhere, cake stalls offering home-made delights and best of all we get the satisfaction of ranking our wannabe local representatives.

The mix of greasy and sugary food and exercising our democratic right is somehow the perfect combination.

I know that most don't share my love for election day or if they do it's for different reasons.

There's been record numbers of early voters this year, people who just want to get it over and done with with minimal hassle.

Unless you're leaving the state or trapped in the Big Brother house, I don't understand why anyone would want to miss all the atmosphere of polling day and at least the chance of a delicious egg and bacon roll to go with their ballot paper.

Saturday was chosen as the election day because traditionally it's the day when most people aren't at work or church.

Times change so I suppose it's more convenient to vote in their lunch hour and leave their Saturday free for other commitments; still I reckon they're skipping the best bits of the voting traditions.

Many will be relieved that today, at least, signals the end of a fairly unimpressive campaign on all sides.

People working on the campaign are exhausted, people who just want to watch their favourite show are sick of politicians taking over the television and clogging their letterboxes with slogans. That I can understand.

What I find most troubling is the new-found popularity of donkey voting, either mindlessly numbering the boxes from top to bottom with no regard for the names next to them or getting creative or abusive with the small pencil in the polling booth.

Australia has compulsory voting but once your name's been crossed off the electoral roll, there's no obligation to take your vote seriously.

Donkey voters might think they're making a statement that there's no one worth their vote.

But if you're tempted to draw some male genitalia on your ballot paper (you're probably not reading a column about politics anyway), keep in mind the only people that see this artwork or obscenities directed at politicians are the dedicated vote counters.

The Australian Electoral Commission doesn't even break down the number of informal votes into deliberate acts or accidental mistakes.

Rather than a protest vote, I suspect it's more a result of laziness.

Sure the campaign has been uninspiring and there is a high level of disillusionment in the electorate.

The major parties have failed to outline a captivating vision and played it safe to the point of frustrating those who care and putting the rest to sleep, but it's not up to the parties to do it all for you.

It's not necessary to study the news every day or read every policy position paper to form an opinion, but it's worth making a little bit of effort.

There are 54 candidates standing in Tasmania this year with a record number of special interest parties vying for votes.

So if you haven't already done so, take half an hour to check out what your candidates stand for and make the most of your chance to tell those politicians what you really think of them.

Surely among the myriad of special interest parties, there will be something that appeals.

And if not, at least take the opportunity to put the party- candidate that you most want to hurl a "F*** you" at today, last on your ballot paper.

Putting a candidate ninth out of nine is the most effective way to express your disgust.

Then reward yourself with a sausage or a home-made cake.