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There are about 50,000 polling stations in Britain. Here's a particularly enchanting one in West Blatchington, near Brighton. See here for more on some of the UK's most unusual polling stations

These Chelsea Pensioners are among voters enjoying a spot of sunshine in London as they head back from the polling booth. The weather's looking pretty mild across much of the UK.

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Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has cast her vote. She is not actually standing for a seat at Westminster. She sits as a member of the Welsh Assembly.

So imagine ... the results have all come in and no single party has a majority. That's when one party has more MPs than all the other parties put together. A party would have to win 326 seats to form a government on its own. But what happens if no party reaches that critical number? It's called a hung parliament. Find out what happens next....

There's been an abundance of political news over the last month or so but today - until voting finishes at 2200 BST - there are restrictions on what the BBC can report about the election. Ric Bailey, the BBC's Chief Adviser on politics explains the rules.

As we don't vote that often, the Electoral Commission has provided some handy reminders about the process.

• check on your poll card where the polling station is; you can only cast your vote at the polling station written on your card
• you don't need your poll card to vote but it can speed things up
• if you haven't been able to post your postal vote, take it to the polling station instead
• there's a pencil provided to mark your ballot paper but you can use your own pen
• only mark one ‘X’ - next to thecandidate you want to be your MP

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Another party leader has cast his vote. Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam Gonzalez Durantez have left the polling station in the constituency of Sheffield Hallam. You can find the full list of candidates here.

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Save the selfies for before you go into or after you leave the polling station. The Electoral Commission says you shouldn't take a picture of yourself inside the polling station because posting it on a social media site could be a breach of the law.

If you're a member of the House of Lords, you can't vote in a general election. That's nearly 800 people who are barred from voting. The ban also applies to people serving jail sentences and to anyone found guilty in the last five years of corrupt or illegal election practices. EU citizens resident in the UK are also barred from voting in a general election. But they, along with members of the Lords, can vote in the local elections.

If you are still pondering which party to vote for today, then have a look at what the parties are promising you. We have summarised their manifestos so you don’t have to read them all.

Polls have been open since 0700 BST and many Britons have already cast their vote, including these nuns, in London.

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You must be registered to vote, at least 18 years old on election day and a British citizen - or a Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland citizen living in the UK. The Queen can vote but it is considered unconstitutional for the monarch to do so. If you can't read or write you can still vote. It's possible to ask a polling officer to mark the ballot paper or take a companion to help. See our guide on how to vote, external.

On top of the general and local elections, there are six mayoral elections as well. They're in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield, Middlesbrough, Torbay and Copeland. That means some voters will be getting three ballot papers when they turn up to vote.

It's not just the general election - millions of voters will be getting two ballot papers when they turn up to vote. That's because there are elections to 279 of the 353 councils in England. More than 9,000 council seats are being contested.

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David Cameron has voted at his local polling station in the constituency of Witney, accompanied by his wife, Samantha. BBC political correspondent Carole Walker says he was met by a large group of photographers and camera crews. The media have been snacking on cakes, tea and coffee laid on by the local Women's Institute, she added. You can find the full list of candidates here.

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The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon has become the latest party leader to cast her vote at the Broomhouse Community Hall polling station in the Glasgow East constituency. She was joined by her husband Peter Murrell. Ms Sturgeon isn't, of course, standing for a seat at Westminster. She is Scotland's First Minister.

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Green Party leader Natalie Bennett is another early voter. She cast her vote at Ossulston Tenants' Hall in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency in north London. You can find the full list of candidates here.

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Ed Miliband has cast his vote, accompanied by his wife, Justine Thornton at Sutton Village Hall. Half a dozen early voters in the Doncaster North constituency found a large group of photographers, reporters and television crews waiting. You can find a full list of candidates here.