'It's a dead heat': What you want to know about the Brexit vote

In just a few hours, Britain will go to the polls to decide whether to stay in the European Union or make a Brexit a British exit. But as the much-anticipated votelooms, many outside Britain still have questions about what the referendum means.

London-based political pollsterJoe Twyman has been closelyfollowing the campaignwith his research firm YouGovand tracking the electorate heading into Thursday's vote.

He answered some of the biggest questions surrounding theBrexit andtook questions Wednesdayas part of a liveQ&A session on CBC News' Facebook page.Here are some answers to a few questions you wanted to know.

How close is the vote?

Brexit poll: 'It's a dead heat'

8 years ago

Duration 0:23

Pollster Joe Twyman says it's 'extremely close' with just hours before vote.

Twyman said it is an"extremely close" race a day out from the referendum. Polls have shifted over the past few weeks, with both the Remain and Leave campsleading at certain points.But anything could happen come Thursday.

"We know that over the last few polls, we've seen the gap between Leave and Remain narrow sometimes one ahead, sometimes another but now statistically speaking, it's a dead heat," he said.

"We expect that actually Remain could take it, but it's by no means outside the realms of possibility that Leave could manage it as well."

What happens if Remain wins by a small margin?

Brexit: What happens next if Remain wins by a tiny margin?

8 years ago

Duration 1:01

Pollster Joe Twyman talks about where the debate goes after the results are in.

Polls suggest thatRemain hasthelead at the moment but it'sonly a marginal lead. Sowhere will the debate goif Britain does choose to stay, but only by a tiny amount?

"I think if it's close, it doesn't necessarily settle the argument forever, which is of course what [Prime Minister] David Cameron and many others hope for. But I don't think we're going to see that,"Twyman said Wednesday.

Twyman suggestskeepingan eye on the division between regions:while some rural areas will vote to leave, he said it's likely that citieslike London, Britain's major economic centre, will choose to stay.

"It's a similar situation, of course, in Canada, with Quebec and Montreal and the distinction between the entire province there," he said.

What role will young people play?

Under 40s crucial to Brexit vote

8 years ago

Duration 0:58

Young(er) people more likely to vote to stay, but less likely to actually vote, says pollster Joe Twyman.

People under 40 will be "hugely important" to the referendum's outcome, said Twyman. But that's only if they decide to getout andvote.

"There may be a proportion of young people who strongly want to stay in the EU, but don't actually get out to vote," he said. "Getting those people engaged is crucial."

Twyman said these younger votersare more likely to vote to Remain but said this grouphasn'tnecessarily been targeted during the campaign.

"There's only one celebrity I can think ofEllie Gouldingwho's under the age of30and has had any kind of involvement with this campaign at all."

Has MP Jo Cox's murder shifted Brexit debate?

Has MP Jo Cox's killing shifted Brexit debate?

8 years ago

Duration 0:32

Cox, who was killed last week, was a vocal proponent of remaining.

Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed last week, was a vocal proponent of remaining in the European Union. During a memorial Wednesday, her husband told the crowd that his wifewas worried about what would happen if Britain leaves.

Her death led to a three-day halt in campaigningbutTwyman is skeptical about whether it has had an impact on how the electorate will vote.

"It's never possible to know for surebecause, of course, sadly, what we don't have is the counterfactualthe geeky term we use for how things would have gone hadthat not occurred. And so we can't isolate that one event."

"We can say that that big move back towardthe status quo actually occurred before the tragic events of last week and the narrowing of the polls actually preceded the events."

Why can't the Queen weigh in?

What can the Royal Family say about Brexit?

8 years ago

Duration 1:40

The Queen can't weigh in but the princes can, says pollster Joe Twyman.

The Queen is head of state, so she's considered to be politically neutral. That means she'snot able to offer her position on political issues like Brexit.

But that hasn't stopped some from speculating how the Queen would vote."As an elderly woman who didn't study at university and lived in a council house, she is in a demographic more likely in which to leave I doubt we'll ever really know for sure,"Twyman said.

Though the Queen is neutral, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry don't fall under the same rule. But they have yet to comment.

"If I were the Remain campaign and I could have only chosen one person [to support my campaign], I would choose either William or Harry," Twyman said.

Watch the full Brexit Q & AwithTwyman below