Here's what to expect on election night

• The 2018 midterm elections are upon us, and the country is anxiously awaiting to hear the results of an array of consequential elections nationwide.
• Most polling places open between 6 and 8 a.m. and close between 6 and 9 p.m. local time. Times vary based on location.
• It can take hours, days, and sometimes even weeks for results to come in based on numerous factors.
• Given polling will start to close in many states between 8 and 9 p.m. ET, we may have an idea of whether Democrats have a chance of flipping the House by sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight ET.

The 2018 midterm elections are upon us, and the country is anxiously awaiting to hear the results of an array of consequential elections nationwide.

There's a lot at stake on Tuesday, November 6. If Democrats are able to retake either the House or Senate, it has major implications for President Donald Trump's agenda over the next two years.

When polls close

Most polling places open between 6 and 8 a.m. and close between 6 and 9 p.m. local time. Times vary based on location.

If you're not sure where your local polling place is or what time it opens and closes, Vote.org and Google offer easy ways to search for more info (click the links here or search "where is my polling place" on Google).

If you're not sure if you're registered to vote, you can also easily search for this information via Vote.org.

When we're likely to know the outcome of races

It could take hours, days, and sometimes even weeks for outcomes of races to become official. This is affected by factors such as the size of states and time zones, the total number of absentee ballots, and various state rules that can lead to runoff elections if candidates don't get at least 50% of the vote.

There are also a number of tight races this year, which can also play a big role in terms of final results.

A number of key races are occurring in eastern states like Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Given that polling will start to close in these states and many others between 8 and 9 p.m. ET, we may have an idea of whether Democrats have a chance of flipping the House by sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight ET.

But there are some competitive races in California as well, where polls won't close until 11 p.m. ET. With that said, the results of many races may not be available until the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Read more: 9 Senate races that are shaping up to be nail biters and will determine which party controls the Senate

California has a notoriously long ballot-counting process and a large number of mail-in ballots. In 2014, it took two weeks for the state to announce the results of two House elections.

Many polls predict Democrats will take the House.

The Associated Press called the Senate for Republicans at 11:25 pm ET in 2014, so it's possible we'll know results in that regard before midnight.

Republicans are expected to maintain control of the Senate.

The gubernatorial races in Georgia and Florida are among the most closely-watched this election cycle with Democratic candidates - Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum - poised to make history in either state if they win. Polls begin to close in both states as early as 7 p.m. ET, meaning we may know the results of these races fairly early into the night.

It's true that exit polls come in quite quickly, but as we learned in 2016 they can be misleading and it's better to wait for full results.