For political junkies, Election Night is the most fun night of the year — at least until it becomes clear that your side is getting clobbered. Here is a guide to the order in which the returns are likely to come in, based on states’ poll closing times, focusing on the states with seriously contested Senate and governor races. Note that the television networks don’t make projections and most state election websites don’t post state or county returns until all the polls have closed in that state. Ten states with two time zones and New Hampshire, where city and town polls close at different times, will be listed here at the time the last polls close. All times are Eastern.

7:00: GEORGIA. Democratic Senate nominee Michelle Nunn will carry black-majority counties in metro Atlanta (Fulton and DeKalb) and south Georgia, while Republican David Perdue will win most others, but the margins matter. Caution: Georgia has 159 counties. If neither candidate gets 50 percent, there will be a runoff Jan. 6, three days after the new Congress convenes. Democrats hope a Nunn victory will offset losses elsewhere and make it harder for Republicans to make the net gain of six seats they need for a Senate majority. Georgia also has a close gubernatorial race between incumbent Republican Nathan Deal and Jimmy Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter.