Queues developed outside some polling stations in Northern Ireland today as all sides predicted a big turnout.
After one of the fiercest campaigns in a generation representatives of the major parties claimed polling in the opening hours was higher than normal.
With local government elections being held at the same time as the British general election, people had to vote twice.
People had to queue outside a number of polling stations in Strangford, Co Down, and voting was also heavy in parts of Fermanagh, south Tyrone and west Tyrone.
Voters in Northern Ireland are electing MPs in 18 constituencies using the first-past-the-post system.
But for the local government elections, they are choosing 582 councillors from over 1,000 candidates through a system of proportional representation.
The election has been marked by bitter rivalry on the unionist side between the Ulster Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party.
PA