Election day

My local polling station is the school across the road, so it's easy to drop in on the way to work.

Today was the first occasion I can remember actually having to queue. In a constituency with a traditionally low turnout record, this is encouraging.

But it may have had something to do with the fact that we had three ballot papers (parliamentary, local council and local referendum) to be registered out to us and explained (I'll bet the explanation gets a bit more perfunctory as the day wears on); or that the officials for the other part of the reguister from mine were being a bit too officious or slow, or more people were turning out at that time for that bit of the register.

Either way, once I'd got to the right point, it was the usual five minute in-and-out, and my democratic duty was done. It seems so mundane for something with such important consequences; but perhaps it should - there's too much showbizzy hoopla about elections already.

And no, I'm not staying up all night to watch the results.