A general election was held in the U.K. on Thursday, December 12, during which Boris Johnson's Conservative party was hoping to expand their majority in parliament and Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party were hoping to take power.
The high stakes attached to the contest obviously drove a lot of discussion on Twitter, where an unfortunate typo drove many to inadvertently post a pretty NSFW hashtag.
It's hard to tell who the first person to make the mistake was, but before long everyone was reposting tweets with the hastag #generalERECTION rather than #generalELECTION.
Many thanks to @eddieizzard for coming over to support us on the last night!!!! Despite the weather forecast, hopef… https://t.co/zGRr9FkHWR— Faiza Shaheen (@Faiza Shaheen) 1576096600.0
Others tried to bring awareness to the issue...but it was too late.
@MuslimahRev @RespectIsVital @eddieizzard Oh ?!!?!! Blame tiredness— Faiza Shaheen (@Faiza Shaheen) 1576101340.0
Today I will go to the polls and endorse someone I don’t trust, don’t want to be our PM & don’t have any faith in &… https://t.co/pP5YMMjOhu— Jack “ The Lad “ Hayes (@Jack “ The Lad “ Hayes) 1576137416.0
If this election has reaffirmed anything it is that we need #trustednews to cut through the arrogance, lies and se… https://t.co/H4ov9DvbQS— Karl Holbrook (@Karl Holbrook) 1576136583.0
Posts from both sides of the aisle featured the risqué tag.
Ridiculous how blatantly biased the media are!! #generalerection #GE2019 https://t.co/rlaYv7YYk8— Majid Haq (@Majid Haq) 1576141404.0
Today is going to be a ‘hold-your-nose-cross-your-fingers’ kind of day, isn’t it?! Either which way, please vote!! .#generalerection— Sinéad Keenan (@Sinéad Keenan) 1576134898.0
It’s the last day before the polling stations open. Good bye calmness, hello General Election 2019. Whoever you’re… https://t.co/Skb0XyG5ru— Patrick Monahan (@Patrick Monahan) 1576086359.0
At some points it almost seemed like people were sharing the inappropriate hashtag on purpose...
You really must vote today you owe it to the country @UKLabour @Conservatives @LibDems @brexitparty_uk… https://t.co/15mlytCdAR— Pete Price (@Pete Price) 1576115621.0
First person to turnip and vote in West Suffolk! Stroke of 7. Head, heart and hand. #Election2020 #generalerection #hope— Sam Russo (@Sam Russo) 1576134710.0
Others combined the silly accident with serious messages.
People literally DIED so we would have the right the vote but you can’t be bothered because you’re too busy on inst… https://t.co/qI5S1zJ2If— 𝕰𝖑𝖑𝖊🌻 (@𝕰𝖑𝖑𝖊🌻) 1576105580.0
Guys pls remember to vote today! It’s so important and your vote could make all the difference! If you’re unsure,… https://t.co/rT9yXpsoWN— Charlotte Tutton (@Charlotte Tutton) 1576140652.0
By the time realization finally broke through to the zeitgeist, there was no going back.
Scrolling through the #generalerection timeline amazed to see that hardly anyone has noticed it says GENERAL ERECTION! 😂— blake harrison (@blake harrison) 1576136877.0
Be careful with hashtags today folks! #generalerection https://t.co/6InbZjPTrI— John Gray (@John Gray) 1576146778.0
Ahem, @PA. #generalerection https://t.co/JjPk2oXurr— Joshua Zitser (@Joshua Zitser) 1576140949.0
This seems to be the rare case when a political gaffe was committed by the electorate rather than politicians.
#generalerection trending 😳😂🤦🏼♂️ https://t.co/dzlpgthO0p— Tom Gaymor (@Tom Gaymor) 1576140777.0
The U.K. will surely never forget the day their countries held this incredibly significant erection.