The BBC and Parliament’s joint decision to beam the exit poll and real-time results from the 2010 UK general election on to the side of St. Stephen’s Tower (the bell goes by the name Big Ben) is an excellent example of a practical way to engage citizens in the democratic process. It might just be some coloured light on an old building, but even the most politically detached individual can take a quick look at this graph and see that the blue team is winning.

It would great to see a similar display on the Peace Tower for the next Canadian Federal Election. Unfortunately, that seems unlikely to happen anytime soon. When it comes to elections, we’re a little more stuck up than the Brits. We can’t even vote in pubs yet!

Photo by veryhappyhack.