Opponents of Scottish independence hold lead

EDINBURGH, Scotland — Opponents of declaring Scotland's independence from the United Kingdom held a lead in incomplete returns.

Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, voted for independence by better than 53%. The oil city of Aberdeen, the nation's third largest city, voted decisively to stay with the U.K., 59-41%.

The other big city, Edinburgh, was yet to report.

With 23 of 32 districts reporting, the No vote was ahead with 54% of the vote.

The British pound was up slightly on news of the early results, as traders favored stability in keeping Great Britain united over the economic and political uncertainty that independence would bring.

Dundee was the first district to show support for independence, voting 57% in favor. In Clackman, where support for independence had been expected to be strong, the vote was 54% against independence. In Orkney, another smaller region, the No forces won decisively with 67%.

With Scotland's 307-year-old marriage with England hanging in the balance, polls showed a tight race between unionists and nationalists, who argue Scotland would be better off with a divorce.

A survey released late Thursday of people who said they voted found 54% against independence and 46% favoring severing ties with the United Kingdom. The survey by YouGov, an Internet-based market research firm, was of 1,800 people who said they voted at the polls, plus 800 who mailed in ballots.

Turnout was expected to be massive. More than 4.2 million people had registered to vote - 97 percent of those eligible - including residents as young as 16.

Those arguing for a continued union say Scotland would be better off economically and better protected militarily, while those for independence say traditionally left-leaning Scotland would benefit from breaking away from the conservative economic policies of the parliament in London.

On the streets of Scotland's capital city, supporters of both campaigns were knocking on doors, making calls and offering whatever assistance they could to get voters to the polls.

Outside a polling center just off of Edinburgh's Royal Mile — the cluster of cobbled and twisting streets that form the heart of the city's Old Town — visible signs of Yes voters (flags, lapel pins and balloons) far outnumbered campaigners brandishing ornaments indicating support for the no vote.

Conor Matchett, 19, a philosophy student at the University of Edinburgh, said he was both nervous and optimistic about the outcome after voting Yes.

"I want change. It's as simple as that," he said. "I believe a Yes vote is the only way to do that."

Matchett, originally from York, in Northern England, but granted a vote in Scotland's referendum on the grounds of his residency here, said he was voting to counter what he felt was the continuing politics of austerity from British politicians down south in Westminster.

"They are attacking the welfare state and many other things that people in Scotland hold really dear," he said.

Standing next to Matchett was Alex Luetchford, also 19, a Yes voter and a student at Edinburgh University.

"Scotland is ruled by a government it didn't vote for and that it doesn't want," Luetchford said. "Power needs to be spread closer to local people affected by it and that is what this referendum is about."

In Edinburgh, Aberdeen-raised Emma Hodcroft, a researcher studying the evolution of HIV, said she is voting No. One of her major concerns is the research money she receives from organizations south of the border.

"All of our money comes from London," she said. "Scotland gets more money than it puts in for research funding and that allows it to punch above its weight."

"The SNP has not answered this question of where this money will come from if we leave the U.K.," Hodcroft added.

Money, in general, is a big concern if Scots opt for independence, Hodcroft said.

"We have so many things that we would need to set up: new tax system, new passport system, new defense system, a new system for drivers' licenses — all these things that no one even thinks about and that we rely on every single day."

If Scotland breaks away from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, hundreds of international treaties including with the European Union and NATO may need to be renegotiated and there is likely to be major political fallout for Prime Minister David Cameron.

Late Wednesday, politicians on both sides of the vote issued their final pleas. At a rally in Perth, Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond described Scotland's referendum on independence as a "precious chance to leave our mark in the pages of history."

At a separate rally in Glasgow, former British prime minister Gordon Brown urged anti-independence voters and those still wavering in their allegiances to "say to your friends, for reasons of solidarity, sharing, pride in Scotland, the only answer is vote No."

In recent days Brown has come to play a central role in galvanizing support for the "Better Together" campaign that has struggled to match the levels of vibrancy and enthusiasm displayed by the Yes campaign.

"Scotland belongs to all of us," Brown said.