Latest: 2010 general election results for Islwyn and Caerphilly
Thousands of voters in Caerphilly County Borough are taking to the ballot box as voting for this year’s general election gets underway.
Polling booths opened at 7am and will remain open until 10pm as people vote to choose their next MP in the Caerphilly and Islwyn constituencies.
In Caerphilly Labour’s Wayne David is fighting against Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle while in Islwyn Chris Evans Labour is battling it out against Plaid Cymru’s Steffan Lewis.
Also standing in Islwyn is rebel candidate Dave Rees, the former Labour councillor who quit the party in a row over candidate shortlists.
Across the UK over 44 million people are registered to vote in today’s general election. But what motivates people to vote?
A YouGov survey of British adults aged 18 and over for the Electoral Commission, the independent elections watchdog, found that the main motivation among those planning to vote was out of duty (48%), 27% welcomed it as a chance to have their say while 22% are spurred by the chance to make a difference.
In Wales an estimated 73% of the 2.3m eligible adults intend to use their vote.
The YouGov survey indicated that 41% of voters in Wales mistakenly think they cannot vote if they have lost their polling card.
Rhydian Thomas, deputy head of the electoral commission in Wales, said: “The polling card is just for information about where the polling station is – people can still vote without it.
“If voters want to know where their polling station then they can contact their local authority.”