The pleading, threatening, chanting and marching are all over, and Scots went to the voting booths today to decide whether after three centuries they will cut their ties with the United Kingdom and become independent. Recent polling shows the race too close to call, but increasingly dependent on Scottish women — who were moving to the “no” column as the undecided voters made up their minds. In the Seattle area, results may be on the Internet as early as 5 p.m., but those early results won’t tell the tale. Don’t expect complete results until very late Thursday night our time. No one paid to do an exit poll, according to The Guardian, which is live blogging here. I wrote about it for Crosscut last week, and we’ll have a follow up story after the final tally is in. Leaders of both sides, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish National Party Alex Salmond, may feel the impact on their political careers, and a “Yes” vote could trigger secession efforts in other European countries and possibly Quebec. — F.M. (Below: a recent visit to my ancestors' home region in Scotland)
