Conservative party leader David Cameron is seen next to a Liberal Democrats poster as he gets in his car after casting his vote at the Spelsbury Memorial Hall in his Witney constituency in Oxfordshire.

Blog: It’s over. The most keenly contested general election campaign for decades has ended, it’s time for the politicians and political commentators to shut up for a few hours and leave all responsibility to the most important people in the whole affair – the voters.

Today is the day when politicians and people like me try to have a lie-in, knowing that they are going to be up all night.

If you’re a candidate, you will spend tonight in a state of nervous tension in your local town hall or wherever your count is being held.

For some, it’s all about pride and not losing their deposit. For others, it’s about a big change in their way of life. Many will be losing their jobs, others will be changing their careers and wondering how spending half the week in London will affect relationships with wives, husbands, children and friends.

As well as the candidates, journalists, broadcasters, political junkies and the tens of thousands of other people who normally work through the night, another group will be up until the early hours.

Task

After initial fears that counts in many areas would be put off until later tomorrow, we will know the results in a record number of constituencies before dawn. Only 23 out of 650 constituency results will be delayed.

About 50,000 people will be staying up to carry out the mammoth task of counting the votes in local elections as well as the General Election. They operate in pairs to eliminate mistakes.

Dame Margaret Eaton, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “The General Election could not operate smoothly without the massive efforts which are put in at a council level, not just by the full-time council staff who oversee the process but also the thousands of temporary staff who help with the count.”

Slick-fingered counters in Sunderland have been first to declare results for the past five elections, and are odds-on to make it six-in-a-row before tonight. The first of the city’s three constituencies could make its announcement as early as 11pm, just an hour after the polls close.

Watch out for the first pointer to how the election is going at about 1am when the Labour marginal of Birmingham Edgbaston is expected to be declared.

Remember 1997 when Gisela Stuart won for Labour, confirming beyond doubt that Tony Blair was heading for a landslide?

After that, it might be another two or three hours before a clear picture emerges. And even if you are watching on HD, a clear picture might not emerge at all.

Then, instead of one of the party leaders telling us at about midday tomorrow how he’s going to run the country, the commentators will come into play again, taking a stab at who is prepared to get into bed with whom.

By John Hipwood