So it’s election night in the UK. For the first time I’m showing a genuine interest in politics and am planning to stay up as late as necessary to watch the results come in.

Photograph by: alex_lee2001 http://www.flickr.com/photos/n0seblunt/4583744460/

The big story of the night, though, is going to be the people who haven’t been able to vote. In countries where democracy needs to be encouraged polling stations stay open all day, even extend their hours, to enable everyone to vote. In the UK, however, it gets to 10pm and the doors are locked. If you haven’t voted by then it doesn’t matter, you don’t get in.

For once people in this country seem motivated to vote – for years now we’ve been talking about fewer and fewer people voting – well, it looks as though the tide is starting to turn.

Now we just have to work out how to get everyone into the polling stations in time to make their vote.