Scotland in last day of campaigning before independence vote

Politicians are making their final pleas to Scottish voters Wednesday, the last day of campaigning before they head to the ballot box to vote on independence.

Opinion polls put the two sides neck-and-neck ahead of Thursday's historic referendum, which could see Scotland split from the United Kingdom.

The latest poll of polls, released Wednesday by ScotCen, an independent research center, shows "no" at 51% and "yes" at 49%, with "don't know" voters excluded. It is consistent with results over the past week or so, which have indicated the race is too close to call.

Polls suggest around 8% of voters remain undecided, making their votes crucial to deciding the outcome of the referendum.

As the vote nears, emotions are running high on both sides, dividing families and polarizing communities.

The leader of the pro-independence campaign, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, will tell "Yes Scotland" campaigners in Perth on Wednesday evening that they have run the "greatest campaign in Scottish history," according to an advance copy of his speech.

"We meet tonight on the eve of the most exciting day in Scottish democracy. We do so to catch our breath for the day ahead -- a day which Scotland will never forget," he will say.

"Tomorrow is the opportunity of a lifetime. A precious chance to leave our mark in the pages of history."

Gordon Brown: This is everyone's country

But former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, himself a Scot, called on his fellow countrymen and women Wednesday to vote "no" to independence with confidence.

Speaking in Glasgow, he said, "This is everyone's flag, everyone's country, everyone's culture, everyone's street and let us tell the people of Scotland that we who vote 'no' love our Scotland and love our country."

Scotland's many past and present achievements, Brown said, "happen not outside the union but inside the union. They happen not in spite of the union but because of the union."

There were chaotic scenes as Labour Party leader Ed Miliband met with members of the public on Tuesday, forcing him to cut short a meet and greet.

The issue of spending on social welfare and health care, through the National Health Service, has been central to campaigning. Questions over the economy, North Sea oil reserves and taxation have also been key.

Each side has argued that it is the best equipped to create more jobs for Scotland.

In a rare show of unity, the leaders of the UK's three main political parties penned a vow on Tuesday -- published on the front page of the Scottish Daily Record newspaper -- to transfer more powers to Scotland if it rejects independence in Thursday's vote