America doesn’t have to go far to trace its lineage to Great Britain, and we had reason to be proud last week at the conduct of our political parents from across the pond.

Scottish independence—an issue that has been simmering since the days of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce—came to a head at the polls, and Scottish voters eventually rejected the proposal, choosing instead to remain in the U.K.

They can be proud (and we can be proud as well, by extension) of several things. First was voter participation. More than 4.2 million people had registered to vote—97 percent of those eligible—and an estimated 86 percent of those people cast their ballots.

Compare that to the last presidential election, when only 57.5 percent of eligible U.S. voters participated. What a difference it would make if we Americans had that level of civic engagement.

At the same time, the U.K. expanded the electorate, lowering the voting age to 16. Since this was a crucial issue that would affect generations to come, allowing 16- and 17-year-old young men and women have a say in the outcome seemed only fitting.

Also the amount of money each side could spend on advertising was limited. As a result, voters were informed of their choice, but not fatigued and fed up by the constant barrage of TV and radio ads, campaign signs, mailings and other ephemera.

The ballot was simplicity itself: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” with boxes for “Yes” and “No.” There’s no room for misunderstanding there—no possibility for hanging chads, overvotes, undervotes, etc.

And finally, there was the aftermath. Both sides accepted the result and moved ahead with a renewed commitment to make a better, stronger United Kingdom. Presumably a similar reaction would have accompanied the creation of an independent Scotland, if that had been the will of the voters.

Thank you, Scotland and the United Kingdom, for showing us how it’s done.