Today sees the country go to the polls for the most important General Election in a generation.

The Comet urges you - our readers - to make your vote count.

Campaigning has been intense across our five constituencies in the lead up to the election, but in the end the final decision on who will be our next MPs lies with YOU.

Looking at the turnouts in 2017 - Stevenage, 69.7 per cent; North East Herts, 73.2 per cent; North East Beds, 73.4 per cent; Mid Beds, 75 per cent, and Hitchin and Harpenden, 77.4 per cent - at least one in every five of the electorate did not cast their vote, with that figure one in four - or higher - in most constituencies.

Make YOUR vote count. And remember:

- Polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm

- You can only vote at the polling station stated on the poll card sent to the address at which you are registered;

- If you are in a queue at your polling station at 10pm, you will still be able to vote, but not if you arrive later;

- If you have not posted a postal vote before polling day, you can take it to your local polling station and hand it in;

- If you are suddenly unable to vote in person, you can apply for an emergency proxy up until 5pm on polling day by contacting the relevant council: Bedford Borough Council for North East Beds (01234 718078), Central Bedfordshire Council for Mid Beds (0300 300 8052), North Herts District Council (01462 474503), St Albans City & District Council for Hitchin and Harpenden (01727 819294), or Stevenage Borough Council (01438 242213);

- You are advised to take your poll card with you to vote, but if you do not have it, you will still be able to vote;

- If you are disabled, you can ask the polling station staff for help to mark the ballot paper. Someone else, such as a relative or support worker, is also entitled to help;

- Anyone with a visual impairment can ask for a large print copy of the ballot paper;

- If you make a mistake on your ballot paper, you can return it to polling station staff who will issue you with a replacement provided you have not already put your original in the ballot box.

Still undecided on who to vote for? The Comet has profiles on all the parliamentary candidates - just click on the General Election 2019 tab. We will also be running a live blog through the night, so tune in after polls close at 10pm tonight.