Take the day off if you want Peter, but the juices don't start flowing on election night until after 8:00 EST. They usually wait until after polls close in various states before making calls one way or the other. They it drags on and on and on, listening to the same people for hours. It gets down to gut check time around 10:00 or so, depending on how the votes are falling.
Usually over by midnight, except of course, 2000.

You may be surprised to find it's just another work day for most folks. Little noticeable difference, except around voting places.

Enjoy the experience.
Edit:
All time references are East Coast.