As the polls have closed, counting is under way in the referendum to decide whether Scotland should stay in the UK or become an independent country.
Counting will be carried out through the night, with individual results announced for each of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas.
The final national result is expected after 06:30 BST on September 19.
A YouGov on-the-day poll published shortly after polls closed suggested “No” was on 54% and “Yes” on 46%.
The survey questioned 1,828 people after they voted, together with the postal votes of 800 people, although is not a traditional exit poll.
Turnout is widely predicted to top the 83.9% recorded in the 1950 general election – the highest in the UK since the introduction of universal suffrage in 1918.
Blair McDougall, director of the pro-Union Better Together campaign, said he believed a “No” vote would be revealed over the course of the night.
Counting is under way in the referendum to decide whether Scotland should stay in the UK or become an independent country
A “Yes” vote in the ballot would end the 307-year-old union between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
A record turnout is anticipated, with 4,283,392 people – 97% of the electorate – having registered to vote.
As soon as Scotland’s 2,608 polling places closed, work began to transport hundreds of ballot boxes to counting centers in each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities.
The bulk of the local results are expected to come between 03:00 and 05:00 BST on September 19.
These will include votes cast from the 789,024 postal vote applications, which was the largest volume of registration for postal votes ever in Scotland.
Once the results from all the local authority areas are known, chief counting officer Mary Pitcaithly will declare the result of the referendum at the Royal Highland Centre outside Edinburgh.
However, running totals – which can be made from the first declaration onwards – may indicate a result earlier in the morning.
Opinion polls released before the vote suggested the referendum was too close to call, although most had the “No” campaign – which backs staying in the UK – holding a slight lead.
For the first time, 16 and 17-year-olds all across Scotland were able vote.
Many councils have reported busy polling stations were busy throughout the day, with some seeing queues both ahead of the polls opening and throughout the morning.
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The Scottish independence referendum will take place on Thursday, 18 September, 2014.
Who can vote?
Most people over the age of 16 who live in Scotland will be entitled to vote. As with other UK elections, to get a vote you will need to register in advance. Unlike other UK elections, 16 and 17 year olds will be able to vote in the referendum.
What will the question be?
The referendum question will be: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” and voters will choose yes or no. Whichever option has the most votes will win the referendum, regardless of how many people turn out to vote.
The Scottish independence referendum will take place on 18 September, 2014
What’s the process?
Constitutional arrangements are the responsibility of the UK Parliament. However, powers have been transferred to allow the Scottish Parliament to legislate for the referendum. This happened in the Referendum Agreement, which was signed by UK’s PM David Cameron and Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond on October 15 2012. As a result of this, the legislation that will allow the referendum to happen is currently making its way through the Scottish Parliament.
Why is this happening now?
This is happening now because the Scottish National Party, who campaign for Scotland to be independent, won a majority at the last Scottish Parliament election.
What happens if there is a Yes vote?
If a majority of those who vote want Scotland to be independent then Scotland would become an independent country after a process of negotiations. Following the negotiations Scotland would leave the United Kingdom and become a new and separate state.
What happens if there is a No vote?
If a majority of those who vote want to stay part of the UK, Scotland would remain a part of the United Kingdom, with its own devolved Parliament. The UK and Scottish governments would continue to make the changes to the powers of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish government that were agreed by the 2 parliaments in the Scotland Act 2012.
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Voting in the Scottish independence referendum is under way.
People are voting on whether Scotland should stay in the UK or become an independent nation.
Voters will answer “Yes” or “No” to the referendum question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
With 4,285,323 people – 97% of the electorate – registered to vote, a historically high turnout is expected.
Votes will be cast at 2,608 polling places across the country until 22:00 on Thursday, September 18. The result is expected early on Friday morning.
Ballot papers will be counted in each of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas.
These will include votes cast from the 789,024 postal vote applications, which was the largest volume of registration for postal votes ever in Scotland.
After votes have been tallied, the counting officer in each area will communicate the result to the chief counting officer Mary Pitcaithly in Edinburgh.
With her approval they will then make a declaration of the result.
People are voting on whether Scotland should stay in the UK or become an independent nation
Once the results from all 32 local authority areas are known, Mary Pitcaithly will declare the result of the referendum at the Royal Highland Centre outside Edinburgh.
Mary Pitcaithly has said she will announce the result at “breakfast time” on Friday.
The result is most likely to be between 06:30 and 07:30, according to Elections Scotland.
That is because the final Scottish declarations in the 2010 UK parliamentary elections and the 2011 Scottish parliamentary elections declaration were made at those times respectively.
However, running totals – which can be made from the first declaration onwards – may indicate a result earlier in the morning.
The bulk of these are expected to come in between 03:00 and 06:00.
Because of the expected high turnout, counting officers have put measures in place to reduce the risk of queuing at polling stations.
The remote nature of some Scottish regions also means bad weather could delay the receipt of ballot boxes at counting centers, in turn delaying the national result.
Helicopters and boats are being used to transport ballot boxes to counts in areas such as Argyll and Bute.
Elections Scotland said recounts will only be allowed at a local level on the basis of concerns about process, not the closeness of a result.
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