Voter turnout has been boosted in cities holding mayoral elections alongside local council elections, early indicators suggest.
Bristol City Council has announced that nearly half of eligible residents turned out to have their say yesterday. Official figures show voter turnout was 44.87% for the mayoral elections, with 44.76 casting votes in the local election.
In 2012, the mayoral election in Bristol saw only 27.92% of people turning out to vote.
The results of the election - thought to be a two-horse race between current mayor George Ferguson and Labour's Marvin Rees - will be announced on Saturday.