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Should they stay or should they go? The UK's 'Brexit' vote is happening

Voters across the United Kingdom are heading to the polls to decide whether or not the country should remain in the European Union.
Imagen por Toby Melville/Reuters

Voters across the United Kingdom are heading to the polls on Thursday in one of the most anticipated ballots in recent memory: A referendum on whether or not the country should remain in the European Union.

Polling locations opened this morning after four months of debate and campaigning on both sides, referred to as the "Leave" and "Remain" campaigns. Voting sites across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Gibralter will close on Thursday evening, with results expected early Friday morning local time.

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The question posed on the ballot is: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?"

A British exit, or "Brexit," means the 28-member EU would lose its second-biggest economy and one of its two main military powers, sending political shockwaves across the continent.

Just the third referendum in British history, much of the debate has been dominated by immigration and the economy.

Related: Why would Britain leave the European Union?

In the four months leading up to the vote, prominent UK politicians, including Prime Minister David Cameron, have made personal calls to remain, while controversial former London Mayor Boris Johnson led the push to make an exit from the European Union. Campaigning was temporarily halted last week after the murder of pro-EU Labour party lawmaker Jo Cox.

An Ipsos MORI poll for the Evening Standard, conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, showed 52 percent of British voters would opt to remain while 48 percent would opt to leave. An online Populus poll showed support for an "In" vote at 55 percent.

Earlier polls by ComRes and by YouGov also showed a last-minute rise in support for Britain to remain in the EU. Britain's currency, the pound sterling, hit a 2016 high on Thursday morning, rising 1.5 percent in morning trade in London to top $1.49 for the first time this year, with analysts tying the upward swing to the "Remain" favoring polls.

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While the "Leave" campaign has said Britain's economy would benefit from a Brexit, "Remain" says it would cause financial chaos and impoverish the nation for years or even decades to come.

Banks have warned clients about volatile trading conditions around the results which may lead to large gaps in prices. Barclays stopped accepting new "stop loss" orders this morning, an extremely rare move for one of the big six banks that dominate the world's biggest financial market.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Watch: Inside the spin room of the BBC's Brexit debate