Scots torn

An older woman takes her ballot, disappears for a few seconds in the booth, returns and tucks the slip of paper into a blue ballot box.

"I already voted yes, and now I'm just praying to God up above that I'm doing the right thing," said Sarah Lofters, adding that while she wanted an independent Scotland after 307 years, there were some aspects of UK membership she didn't want to get rid of. "Not breaking away all together," she clarified. "I don't want to see the money changing or anything like that. But I would like to see us be ruled from Edinburgh, not London."

Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister and the head of the Scottish National Party, would also like to keep the British pound. But the government in London has so far refused. What currency an independent Scotland might use has been a major issue for many people in the two years of campaigning that took place ahead of Thursday's referendum.

'Yes' or 'No'

Voting at a polling station in Edinburgh's city hall was orderly for the 17 hours that polls were open, and the question posed to the 4.2 million Scottish voters had six words:

"Should Scotland be an independent country?"

These six words will not only determine Scotland's political future, but that of the remainder of the United Kingdom.

On election day, newspaper editorials across the country agree, and they don't mince words: Not a single paper in Scotland or England supports the drive for Scottish independence. Voters can answer "Yes" or "No" - both words are printed on the ballot. Scribbling additional words like "freedom" or "Britain" renders the ballot invalid, warn the staff at the polling station in Edinburgh City Hall.

A young man stood in the gray weather with a "No" badge on his sweater: Gabriel Phillips is from London, but he studies and lives in Edinburgh. That's enough to make him a Scot according to voting laws, so he was able to cast a ballot.

"I voted no, against independence, of course."

Now he hopes that the final opinion polls ahead of the referendum will hold, and that the "No" camp will maintain its thin forecasted lead.

"I'm not here particularly to convince people to vote nay, but I'm here to make sure if people have questions, they can chat to me - and that there is no voter intimidation going on from the 'Yes' campaign," he said. "But as there are no voters in this polling station, we don't need to fear that."

No brawls, please

Starting on Friday - regardless of how the vote goes - Scots will have to reconcile.

"When I started campaigning, you had a lot of general banter between the yes side and the no side, and it was possible to have a good laugh," Phillips said. "Unfortunately, the referendum is a very emotional subject for a lot of people, and as a result of that, there has been abuse thrown from both sides. I think Scotland will have been divided slightly, but hopefully we can reconcile after the referendum has finished."

Many pubs in Edinburg will be open all night as the city's residents wait for their votes to be counted. Results are expected early Friday morning (local time). Media have speculated that intoxicated supporters of the two camps could end up defending their views with their fists on the streets. The police, however, have taken a more relaxed view.

"It won't be worse than a local football match," a police spokesperson told the "Scottish Daily Mail."

"Yes" will lead to years of talks

The arguments for and against independence have been made abundantly clear, says Thomas Nibble, after casting his ballot. The time has finally come to vote.

He said he voted for independence so that Scotland could be rid of nuclear weapons, adding that he wants health care to remain a public service and not be privatized, as it is in England.

Salmond promised that an independent Scotland would remain a member of the NATO military alliance but would no longer put up with the British Navy keeping nuclear submarines near Glasgow. Anti-independence supporters have also said that's an issue that needs to be discussed with London, since a new harbor for the submarines off the English coast would cost billions of pounds.

Should Scots vote for independence, the government said it would want to hold 18 months of talks with officials in London as well as the European Union and NATO to work out the road to independence. The actual declaration of independence would be scheduled for March 2017.

'Freedom for Wales'

Even if Scotland remains a part of the United Kingdom, says Phillips, "Scotland will not be the same." The three established parties in British Parliament made a last-minute promise to Scots for increased autonomy.

Other parts of the country have also heard the message coming out of Scotland, and calls for independence have increased. Demonstrators from Wales have even made the trip north to Scotland.

"After Scotland, it will be Wales' turn," one activist told DW, waving a hand-made poster. "We want a free Wales."