Polling stations around Epping Forest have been open since 7am this morning, with people voting for the district’s next MP as well as a number of new councillors.
Members of the public will cast their votes until 10pm, after which the votes will be counted at Debden Park High School in Willingale Road, Loughton, and the general election result will be announced early tomorrow morning.
The Guardian asked people at a polling station in Buckhurst Hill Baptist Church how they voted and what they hoped for.
Robert Baker, 70, from Westbury Lane, voted Conservative and he said: “We have to make money to spend it.
“Everyone wants to spend it, but you cannot spend unless you know how to make it.”
Robert Baker said he supported the Conservatives
He added: “You have gotten to the stage where you have to pay the bill before you start giving more money out.
“We are on the way back.”
Ralph Poluck, 78, from High Road, voted the same way.
He said: “I personally believe the only way the country goes forward is with a strong economy.
“For the NHS, for education, you have got to have a strong economy.
“I would not trust Ed with my pocket money – both Ed Balls and Ed Miliband.
“The coalition with the Liberal Democrats worked reasonably well, I would be happy to see a similar agreement again.”
Peter Spencer, 75, is a teller for the Liberal Democrats and also hoped for a coalition government.
He said: “I think the coalition worked very well despite the fact people were very pessimistic in the first place.
“We held the right wing of the Conservative party back."
“The future is uncertain, it will probably be no overall control.
“A coalition is best for the country, but I am not sure which one.”
Peter Spencer hopes for a coalition government
Terry Knight, 57, from Queen’s Road, did not want to say which way he voted but said the system as a whole should be changed.
Terry Knight voted, but hopes for a change to the voting system
He said: “Locally I do not think there will be any change.
“Proportional representation sounds good.
“How someone with the least votes can win overall does not seem right to me.”
Patricia Phillips, 69, from Roebuck Lane, said she hoped to achieve one thing with her vote: “More of the same really, keeping the same ambience.”
Patricia Phillips said she was voting to keep things how they are now
The Epping Forest Guardian will be providing live coverage of vote counts this evening, with reaction to the local and national picture as it unfolds through the night.
Get involved by tweeting your views via twitter using #localguardianelection, or by contacting reporters directly.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here