Queues formed outside polling stations this morning as thousands made the trip to place their vote for the "snap" election called back in April.
Prime Minister Theresa May called the snap election seven weeks ago in hopes of increasing the Conservative Party's slim majority in Parliament and strengthening her hand in negotiating Britain's exit from the EU.
Before the election, May had a majority of 12 seats, won in 2015 under Conservative Party leader David Cameron, who stepped down after losing the Brexit vote.
"I don't think that's in the hearts and minds of Londoners at the minute, (not) almost as much as security is", said Sheard, 22. "It was very scary on Saturday".
However, two terrorist attacks in Manchester and London that left 30 people dead in the weeks leading up to the vote shifting the emphasis to security, with police cuts during May's six years as home secretary seeming to erode her lead in the polls. The official threat level stands at severe, the second highest rating, indicating an attack is seen as "highly likely".
The gap between the Conservatives and the Labour Party led by veteran left-winger Jeremy Corbyn began to narrow after May announced a policy on elderly care that proved unpopular. Despite the focus on the party leaders, voters are not directly choosing their prime minister, only their local MP.
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, an anti-war campaigner deemed unelectable by a majority of his own lawmakers, has run an energetic campaign promising change and an end to austerity.
The most important poll, however, will be released at 10.00 p.m. BST (5.00 p.m. ET) when the UK's broadcasters release their jointly commissioned exit poll.
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Now, according to various reports, the "Horizon Machine" will be available to various third-party stores by the end of this year. Apple has vowed to help assuage the problem by installing proprietary machines specifically for fixing shattered screens.
In her final message to voters, Ms May appealed directly to the undecided, urging them to support her in negotiating the best deal for Britain as it leaves the European Union.
May wants to strike a deal she described as "good for Britain", while Corbyn says he respected the majority decision by Britain to quit the European Union, but he wants to maintain access for business and the protection of workers' rights.
Brexit failed to emerge as a major issue in the campaign, as both the Conservatives and Labour said they would respect voters' wishes and go through with the divorce. "So whoever you have voted for in the past, if that is the future you want then vote Conservative today and we can all go forward together". "This is the new center ground".
The pound gained 0.4 per cent on Wednesday, with investors increasingly taking the view that May's party will win a majority in the election on Thursday.
ICM's preliminary findings in a poll for the Guardian put Mrs May's party on 46%, up one point compared with a poll on Monday, with Labour unchanged on 34%. May was criticised for lacklustre campaigning and two deadly attacks turned the election into a debate about national security.
The euro later pared losses after a Reuters report cited sources as saying the European Central Bank is likely to nudge up its forecasts for economic growth in the euro zone even as it trims its inflation estimates. Of these, around 31 are from the mainstream parties such as Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats while the rest are from smaller parties or contesting as independents.
"We live in a country where a bit of drizzle is commonplace, " said John Curtice, an election expert at Strathclyde University.
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