Alwaght- Millions of Britons began Thursday in a much-anticipated referendum on whether the country should remain a member of the European Union (EU) or leave the 28-member bloc.
A record 46.5 million voters were registered to decide Britain's future in the European Union in the vote that has deeply polarized the country and caused heated debates and disputes both within the UK and across the English Channel in Europe, especially over the past few weeks.
Polls are set to close at 21:00 GMT (10:00 p.m.) and most of the results are expected by 3:00 GMT on Friday.
British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens over the age of 18 who live in Britain, as well as citizens of Gibraltar, are all eligible to vote after registration.
That means Cypriots and Maltese living in Britain can vote since their countries are members of the Commonwealth, as well as the European Union.
On Wednesday, supporters and opponents of the so-called Brexit (Britain’s exit from the EU) made their last-ditch efforts to garner the support of undecided voters.
The once-in-a-generation referendum asks: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?"
Meanwhile, two-thirds of the right-wing UK Independence Party (Ukip) voters believe the EU referendum will probably be “rigged”, while nearly a third suspects MI5 involvement in the alleged plot, a new survey suggests.
Pollsters YouGov surveyed a representative sample of all voters on whether they believed Thursday’s plebiscite would be conducted fairly.
Voters were asked whether they agreed with the statement “It is likely that the EU referendum will be rigged” with possible responses “Probably true”, “Probably false” and “Don’t know”.
People who voted Ukip in the 2015 election were extremely likely to believe the referendum would be rigged.
Just one in five said the vote would be conducted fairly while a full 64 per cent said it was likely to be rigged.
The referendum has been marred by the murder of Jo Cox, the British MP shot and stabbed to death in her Yorkshire constituency last week. She supported Britain staying in the EU.
