Elections get Googlewhacked

In Australia, as November 24's parliamentary elections draw closer, the internet is changing the rules of the game.

It's being dubbed the 'Google election', and both candidates apparently agree about one thing: technology's good. "An uninterrupted, direct and open channel between decision-makers and voters" is how Prime Minister John Howard is describing the internet.

Opposition leader Kevin Rudd wants to use YouTube as a debating venue, a model tested this summer by America's eight Democratic candidates, who answered questions submitted by users.

But it's Google's involvement in the lead-up to polling that's truly unprecedented. Google's Australian HQ has harnessed technology from across its