Millions of voters are going to the polls across the UK.
After six weeks of campaigning and debate, people have been
casting their vote at around 50,000 stations.
Polls close at 22:00 BST with results from the first
constituencies expected before midnight and the final result due on Friday
afternoon.
As well as the general election, there are more than 9,000
council seats being contested across 279 English local authorities.
Mayors will also be elected in Bedford, Copeland, Leicester,
Mansfield, Middlesbrough and Torbay.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage, Labour leader Ed Miliband, Greens
leader Natalie Bennett, SNP leader
Nicola Sturgeon, Conservative leader David
Cameron, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood have
all cast their votes.
In Northern Ireland DUP leader Peter Robinson and Sinn
Fein's Martin McGuinness in Northern Ireland have voted, as have SDLP leader
Alasdair McDonnell, Alliance Party leader David Ford and Ulster Unionist leader
Mike Nesbitt.
Results declared
A total of 650 Westminster MPs will be elected, with about
50 million people registered to vote.
The weather has been dry and mild across much of the UK,
with isolated showers in some parts of the north of England.
The local votes taking place mean that nearly every voter in
England - excluding London where there are no local elections - will have been
given at least two ballot papers when they enter polling stations.
Some votes had been cast before Thursday through postal
voting, which accounted for 15% of the total electorate at the 2010 general
election, when the overall turnout was 65%.
For the first time, people have been able to register to
vote online.
Most polling stations are in schools, community centres and
parish halls, but pubs, a launderette and a school bus are also being used.
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