When are Primary Vote Results released?

[kutibah]

If Iowa has their Primary on January 3rd, will we know the results of the election that night or how does it work?

[Bradley in DC]

Obviously every state will have its own rules. There will be UNOFFICIAL results that night, I would suspect.

Certainly in primary states, the OFFICIAL results would be delayed for overseas absentee ballots, etc. For example in DC (just humor us on the "state" part for this example ;)), we vote in the Presidential Preference Primary on February 12th, but the final tabulation of Special and Absentee Ballots cast is Feb 22nd.

[John of Des Moines]

At the Iowa caucus the attendees are given a slip to write his or her perferred candidate on. The slips of collected and counted in the presence of the caucus goers. Each precinct calls the Iowa GOP Hq who tallies and releases the result that evening.

[kutibah]

At the Iowa caucus the attendees are given a slip to write his or her perferred candidate on. The slips of collected and counted in the presence of the caucus goers. Each precinct calls the Iowa GOP Hq who tallies and releases the result that evening.

Wait, so Iowa does not have a popular election, but rather by caucus? How does this work exactly?