LONDON (AA) – Voting has ended in the historic referendum that will decide whether the U.K. will remain a European Union member.
Polling stations closed as of 10 p.m. local time (2100 GMT) on Thursday. The ballot boxes will now be taken to local election centers for the counting to begin.
British voters dropped by polling stations all day across the country to cast their votes on the future of their country’s ties with the EU.
Around 46 million voters were eligible to vote in the referendum.
Weather conditions caused some polling stations to be moved due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
Many prominent figures in the Remain campaign, including Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and UKIP head Nigel Farage, turned up to vote early in the morning.
The first results are expected from northeast England — traditionally a Eurosceptic region — at around 1 a.m. Friday morning.
Chief Counting Officer Jenny Watson will declare the final results early Friday at Manchester Town Hall, where all results will reach after the ballot count is over.
