I'll keep this brief, if you want a detailed nitty gritty timetable of when, for example, Upper Kumbuckta West will declare, this ain't it.
- Forget Shakespeare, this is the question: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
- Voters will put a mark next to "Remain a member of the European Union" OR "Leave the European Union"
- There will be no exit polls (apart from some privately commissioned polls for hedge funds etc.). Why no publicly available exit polls? The margin for error is thought to be too large. (Hasn't stopped 'em conducting polls leading up to the vote, though, has it?)
- Polling places open 0600GMT
- Polling places close 2100GMT
- Each local counting area will begin counting once voting closes
- First results are expected around 0000GMT (Friday morning UK time)
- A reasonably clear picture of the result should be from around 0300GMT ... but that will depend on the closeness of the results
- Final declaration expected around 0600GMT (Friday morning UK time), this will be when about 75% of counting areas are expected to have declared. Again, subject to the closeness of the contest.
Update:
Here is more of what we know.
- At least two polls will be released early Thursday morning before voting opens
- Two more polls will be released immediately after the vote, these aren't exit polls but polls of people taken on Wednesday, although there may be confusion and they could be misinterpreted.
- Watch for Sunderland results first, they race to report the results and are a solid bellwether.
