Posted by: CNN, Digital Producer Phil Han
Filed under: Election •Social Media

Hundreds of voters were left angry and frustrated Thursday after being turned away from polling stations amid chaotic scenes, as voting closed in Britain's General Election.  

One student from Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg's Sheffield constituency complained that fellow students had been discriminated against, with local residents put into separate queues.
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Posted by: CNN Digital Producer, Paul Armstrong
Filed under: Election •General •Polls •Social Media

As results of the UK election continue to pour in from around the country,  social media networks are buzzing in anticipation.

Immediately after the polls closed, tens of thousands of Tweets started showing up online and in a matter of minutes, the most popular topics on Twitter were all about the election.

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Posted by: Digital Producer Phil Han
Filed under: Social Media

Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

I've been looking at how it's going for the three main parties as they raise cash online. They were hoping that voters would point, click and pay.

We talked to all three parties. The Lib Dems say they received a 700 percent increase in the number of donations after the first TV debate. It was mostly in the form of small donations - £5 or £10 a person. They didn't give us an overall figure.

The Conservative Party says its raised about $800, 000 online, and the Labour Party, more than $400, 000.

Compare that to what U.S. President Barack Obama raised in 2008. He got about half a million dollars in online donations.

We chatted to Joe Rospars, Obama's digital advisor for his campaign, who says all the parties have been running a "strong traditional campaign," and that "the online stuff is somewhat of an afterthought and not and central to the relationships they have with voters or supporters."

To be fair, Obama had two years to campaign. The British candidates have had only six weeks. We also chatted to Facebook's director of European Policy, who used to be an MP himself. He says even so, there are still ways the candidates could have done more to click with possible donors.

They could have done a better job of more closely tying their "fundraising to specific events and specific targets that people can reach."

For the next election political parties may need to sharpen their cyber style to tap into more money on the Web.

Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

Students in Brimingham brave the rain to watch the third UK election debate between leaders of the main political parties (Getty)

London, England - "It was the Sun wot won it" claimed the bumptious newspaper in a famous headline the day after the 1992 UK election surprisingly returned Conservative Prime Minister John Major to power.

The newspaper's front-page banner headline on polling day itself featured Labour Leader Neil Kinnock's, his head surrounded by a lightbulb and urged: "If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights."

If the shape of British politics changes on May 6, with a hung parliament leading to discussions about a coalition government, then somebody somewhere will write an article entitled "It was the TV debates wot dun it."

The four-and-a-half hours of detailed and sometimes passionate debate between Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Conservative leader David Cameron and his Liberal Democrat counterpart Nick Clegg have not only had a significant effect on the likely outcome of this contest - they have probably changed the whole shape of British politics.

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Posted by: CNN Policital Contributor Robin Oakley
Filed under: Debates •Election •Social Media

A new online game called Downing Street Fighter will let you slug it out.

London, England - If you're looking for a way to vent your anger and frustration with any of the three main candidates I've got just the thing for you.

An online game called Downing Street Fighter will let you slug it out. A left hook, a right jab, and uppercut with three players.  Just take your pick.

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Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Clicking with voters •Social Media

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Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent, Fionnuala Sweeney
Filed under: Social Media

UK Labour Party leader Gordon Brown is mobbed by the media after personally apologizing to Gillian Duffy (Getty).

London, England – They said it could happen, and today Gordon Brown was the fall guy.

Before the UK election campaign officially began, experts warned that while social media would not make any Prime Ministerial candidate’s campaign (a role that would fall to the TV debates), it could break one.

Today, Brown's microphone gaffe may have done just that, as Sky News revealed the British prime minister called longstanding Labour voter Gillian Duffy "bigoted" following a conversation with her in Rochdale, England.

Within minutes, the UK Twittersphere was agog. An hour later, the gaffe was trending strongly on Twitter globally. By 1300 GMT, “bigot” was the top search term on Google and Gillian Duffy was being hailed as the election’s Susan Boyle.

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Posted by: CNN Supervising Producer, Linnie Rawlinson
Filed under: Election •Social Media