EU decision day finally arrives

Voting takes place today (Thursday) in the EU referendum, with ballot stations open from 7am to 10pm across the county.

Counting takes place overnight, with the final result expected to be announced early tomorrow morning.

Votes in Kent will be counted and declared by local councils but will have to be validated by a regional count at Southampton before being formally announced.

The count will start at 10pm but when each area declares its results is hard to say. The Electoral Commission has forecast the results in Kent will mostly be declared between 3am and 4am.

In Medway, the result is expected to be due about 6am as it covers a larger area.

However, these forecasts should be treated with caution, especially as this is a unique election for the UK.

If turnout is high, which many think it will be, the results could come much later.

The forecast for Kent declarations is: Ashford – 4am; Canterbury – 4am; Dartford – 3.30am; Dover – 2am; Gravesham – 5am; Maidstone – 3am; Medway – 6am; Sevenoaks – 4am; Shepway – 3am; Swale – 4am; Thanet – 3am; Tunbridge Wells – 3am to 4am; Tonbridge and Malling – 4am.

We will be having a full results service on www.kentonline.co.uk along with comment, analysis and reaction from our reporters around the county.

You can keep up to date with our political editor Paul Francis on Twitter @PaulOnPolitics and there will be news on our radio station kmfm and our digital TV station KMTV.

Councils are expected to publish their results on their own websites.