Vote graffiti

EU referendum: Every vote matters

There is still at least another hour until the polling stations close for the EU Referendum.

If you’re registered to vote, you can pop along (even if you don’t have a poll card) and cast your vote for Great Britain to either Remain or Leave the European Union.

Every votes counts nationally, so if you haven’t done it yet, you’ve still got a chance to have an impact.

Live coverage of count from OnTheWight
OnTheWight will be providing live coverage from the Isle of Wight count from around 10pm tonight, so don’t forget to tune in to hear the local results.

Stay with OnTheWight after the local result as we hand over to our friends, Eastleigh News, who will be continuing our live reporting, but from the regional centre, Southampton.

382 counting areas in 12 regions
There are a total of 382 counting areas taking part across the Great Britain, including one area in Gibraltar and one in Northern Ireland.

All local results will be fed to 12 regions, before being collated and passed up to the national level.

The last declaration – which will then provide the full national picture – is not expected to be complete until around 6am on Friday morning.

Could there be a national recount?
According to the Electoral Commission, the rules don’t provide for a national recount “under any circumstances”.

A spokesperson for the Commission said,

“We expect local recounts to be granted if a specific issue has been identified with the process in that counting area, rather than simply when the local totals are close.”

A judicial review is the only way the national referendum result could be challenged and this must be requested within six weeks of the result.

What happens if Brexit is backed?
If voters choose to Leave the European Union, Prime Minister David Cameron will trigger what’s known as ‘Article 50’. This is the formal mechanism for leaving the EU.

A two-year negotiation period would commence, but some say it would take maybe ten years for GB to separate from the EU.

Image: kodakviews under CC BY 2.0