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The Spanish judiciary has ruled the vote unconstitutional but Catalan leader Artur Mas
warned against any attempt to disrupt it.
Spain's constitutional court suspended earlier plans for a referendum on secession.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the vote would have no effect and urged the region
to return to "sanity".
Voters will be asked whether they want a Catalan state and whether that state should
be independent.
As of 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT) - two hours before the close of polling, 1,977,531
had voted, according to the Catalan government.
'Attack on democracy'
Catalonia is a wealthy region of 7.5 million people and contributes more to the Spanish
economy than it gets back through central government funds. Economic and cultural
grievances have fuelled Catalan nationalism.Turn-out appeared brisk, with large queues forming
outside many polling centres
This 93-year-old man was among those who took pride in casting his ballot
Independence supporters hope that a strong vote of support will put more pressure on the central
government to open negotiations over more tax and political autonomy
Barcelona's CIC secondary school is teeming with people of all ages, elbow to elbow,
undeterred by the rain.
Patiently they queue to register before heading for one of the nine precious cardboard
ballot boxes, at tables around the school, supervised by happy volunteers.
Most voters I speak to favour independence but there are others voting No, exercising
their right to vote in defiance of what they see as Madrid's intransigence.
Radiating good humour, one couple told me they were voting different ways. Lilian
Subietas, proud mother of four young Catalans, said she was persuaded to vote Yes
while her husband, airline pilot Cesar Saiz, said he was voting No because Europe
needed to stay together.
Cesar (left) voted No while his wife Lilian voted Yes