Here's When To Expect The Texas Primary Results

The results from Texas could have a pretty big impact in both the GOP and Democratic primary races — and it's likely to draw a lot of attention Tuesday night and on political talk shows for the rest of the week as pundits hash out the details. The sheer number of delegates is pretty impressive, and in the GOP case, it could be a big test for the viability of Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign. So when are you going to find out who won? The results from the Texas primary elections will start to come in Tuesday night after voting ends.

The state's laws say polls are open until 7 p.m., but Texas is so large it stretches into two time zones. That means the majority of polls will close at 8 p.m. ET but in the far western regions, like El Paso, voters have until 9 p.m. ET to cast a ballot. Then begins the counting, but preliminary results should be updated during the count. Texas has a pretty sophisticated online reporting tool run by the state, so you can check the results out in real time — numbers are updated every six minutes once they start to come in.

Looking at the latest polls, it shouldn't take too long to figure out who the winners are — if the current leads by frontrunners Cruz and Hillary Clinton hold up. A little over 10 points separate Cruz from Romney, and Clinton's lead over Sanders point's to a Clinton win. Perhaps even a blowout but not necessarily by South Carolina standards. There the former Secretary of State won with more than 70 percent of the vote. In Texas she currently leads with about 60 percent to Sanders' 35. As results start to come in, news outlets will combine the info with exit polls and call the race — probably on the early side.

In 2012, Mitt Romney, gave a victory speech on Super Tuesday, claiming that he would get the nomination. His team released excerpts to the media by about 8 p.m. ET and he was giving the speech before 10 p.m. ET. But, that doesn't mean this year will follow the same timeline. For one, Texas was not a Super Tuesday primary state. They voted in late May. This year, first-place finishers in the majority of the states — probably Trump and Clinton — may try something similar, but it won't hinge on just Texas results (especially for Trump who looks like he'll come in second there).

Of the 661 Republican delegates and the 865 Democratic delegates, Texas gets a pretty big chunk. In the Republican race, the candidates will split 155 delegates. In the Democratic race, 252 are up for grabs (although 30 are superdelegates who can ignore the popular vote). Whether these can tip the race firmly in the direction of one candidate or not, they are a huge chunk of those awarded Super Tuesday. You nearly have your answer; the results are just around the corner. Hang in there.

Believe it or not, both primaries and caucuses can be laugh-out-loud hilarious. Don't believe us? Have a listen to Bustle's "The Chat Room" podcast...