Today the country goes to the polls to choose the next government and it seems this year that the result is especially difficult to call.

After the last election, which saw Labour give way to a Coalition government of Conservative and Liberal-Democrat, it seems that we are now in a new age of politics, where perhaps one party will not hold sway.

Maybe because of that, your vote has never been more needed.

Whatever party you follow, nothing is guaranteed. This year more than ever, non-one can say: "The result's a foregone conclusion, so my vote doesn't matter."

It is important, if you are a first-time voter, that you exercise your right to put a cross on the ballot paper - a right that has been hard-won for many members of our society, women especially.

Young people are traditionally seen as difficult to engage with politics, but the pool of non-voters of a young age is immense and could quite conceivably swing the result of any General Election.

In case there is any doubt, we must remember at all times that democracy means electing the people's choice of government. They are there to serve us, to do the best for the country.

But we only get the government we truly deserve if we all exercise our right to vote. We will doubtless wake up tomorrow to find the political landscape completely changed - or whenever it takes for a new coalition government to be formed, as many commentators think will happen.

Whether you will celebrate or commiserate about the people elected to run the country, at least be safe in the knowledge that you have had your say.