You've made it through five weeks of campaigning and tonight is election night.

Some will be hosting election parties.

Others just want to know when to flick channels or check the net.

Whatever your plans, here are seven things to look out for as the votes come in.

1. When will he call it?

The first results start appearing a little after 6:10pm AEST.

ABC Chief Elections Analyst Antony Green could call the winner of the election within an hour. He did just that in 2013 when the Coalition under Tony Abbott romped home.

But be prepared to wait.

The polls are tight and in the close contests of 2010 and 2016 the final result wasn't clear on election night. Plus huge numbers of pre-poll votes mean the result in some booths won't be clear for days.

If all you want to know is whether it's been called, well, there's a page just for that.

2. Coalition survivors

Opinion polling during the campaign has shown Labor is the favourite to form government.

If the polls carry over to the election results, prominent Coalition members in marginal seats will be struggling to hold on.

Look out for:

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton in Dickson (margin of 1.7 per cent)

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton in Dickson (margin of 1.7 per cent) Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong (12.8%)

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong (12.8%) Health Minister Greg Hunt in Flinders (7%)

Health Minister Greg Hunt in Flinders (7%) Attorney-General Christian Porter in Pearce (3.6%)

Attorney-General Christian Porter in Pearce (3.6%) Assistant Social Services Minister Sarah Henderson in Corangamite (knife edge)

Assistant Social Services Minister Sarah Henderson in Corangamite (knife edge) Former prime minister Tony Abbott in Warringah (11.1%)

The contest in Warringah is between Tony Abbott and Zali Steggall. ( AAP: Peter Rae )

3. Faster Senate predictions

While all eyes are on the Lower House to see who claims government, the Senate is where the business of Parliament really happens.

The incoming government will have to negotiate with a difficult crossbench — the question is just how difficult.

Senate results are not formally announced for weeks.

But in this campaign there is a streamlined voting system and a new ABC results page, which assesses each Senate race with "won", "likely" and "ahead".

It gives Australians a better-than-ever glimpse of just how pesky the red chamber might be for the new prime minister.

4. Independent watch

Much has been made of the potential of independents during this year's campaign.

But with Wentworth and Indi under strong pressure from the Coalition, and Julia Banks moving from Chisholm to Flinders, there's a chance the Lower House crossbench might actually shrink.

Independents to watch include:

Kerryn Phelps, current MP in Wentworth

Kerryn Phelps, current MP in Wentworth Zali Steggall, Warringah

Zali Steggall, Warringah Rob Oakeshott, Cowper

Rob Oakeshott, Cowper Helen Haines, Indi

Helen Haines, Indi Grant Schultz, Gilmore

Grant Schultz, Gilmore Julia Banks, Flinders

Former MP Rob Oakeshott has been tipped to return to Parliament in the northern NSW seat of Cowper. ( Supplied: Rob Oakeshott )

5. Palmer's dollars

The Clive Palmer-backed United Australia Party has spent as much, or possibly more, than either of the major parties — perhaps $60 million.

What does that kind of cash buy you in Australia's democracy? We're about to find out.

A Clive Palmer billboard advertising his United Australia Party. ( ABC News: Christopher Gillette )

The party won't get near a Lower House seat according to polling.

But it could match or even exceed the return of the old Palmer United Party, which secured three Senators in 2013.

6. Primary fall

Until the 1990s it was rare for minor parties to secure more than one in 10 votes in the Lower House. That meant the duopoly of Labor and the Coalition gobbling up the other nine.

But the balance has shifted.

Minor parties have doubled their support, and it has dragged down voting for the so-called majors.

Labor has secured 40 per cent only once in the past two decades, while the Coalition is at risk of dropping below this level this time around.

A drop in support also means a financial hit — each first preference vote is worth $2.76 this election in public election funding.

7. Antony Green's buttons