Elections always matter, but this year the weight of responsibility for every citizen to exercise their civic duty and vote feels particularly important and impactful thanks to the polarized political climate that is 2020.

Every election is about voters making choices, and about individuals ensuring their voice is heard on the topics that matter most -- from health care in the age of COVID-19, jobs and the economy with so many struggling financially, the education of our children amidst remote and hybrid learning, and critical conversations on race and diversity.

Elections have consequences, and policies have a direct impact on people’s lives. It is important for communities and citizens to have access to the information necessary for them to make informed voting decisions, and to understand the potential influence of the candidates chosen and laws passed.

As we look ahead to Tuesday, MassLive is prepared to bring you accurate, up-to-the-minute election results — for all races local, state and national —that will be accessible to all readers coming to the site on Election Day, and if needed, beyond.

This is a critical part of our public service mission. We will keep reporting until all of the ballots have been counted.

In Massachusetts mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 3 and delivered to your local election office by Friday, Nov. 6 in order to be counted. Ballots that arrive prior to 8 p.m. on Election Day do not require a postmark.

Tuesday’s election promises to be historic and passions are running high, judging by early voting activity in Massachusetts, and across the country. In Massachusetts as of Wed., Oct. 28, 49.5% of voters have either applied to Vote by Mail or have early voted in person. Of all registered voters, 41% have already voted. The number of ballots cast through Wednesday is equal to 58.4% of all ballots cast in the 2016 election.

We’ll follow the presidential results as President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joseph Biden square off, including results from swing states across the country and electoral college totals, as well as the shifting balance of power in the House and Senate. In Massachusetts, we’ll follow congressional races and the results of several important ballot questions - including Question 1, expanding Massachusetts’ Right to Repair law, and Question 2 on ranked-choice voting.

We’ll have reporters on the ground in Springfield, Worcester and Boston talking to local election officials, and offering valuable analysis that only local journalists can provide on election night and beyond to make sure you have the information you need. Download the MassLive news app and sign up for breaking news push alerts to your mobile device or subscribe to the breaking news newsletter to ensure you receive timely updates.

In terms of what to expect on election night, and to provide full transparency on how ballots will be counted, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s office offers the following guidance:

Ballot Processing & Tabulation

This year, local election officials could begin processing ballots (marking voters off the voter list, removing ballots from inner envelopes, and running ballots into tabulators) as early as October 25th. All advance processing of ballots must be done in public view, at an advance processing session posted by the local election official at least 3 days prior to the session. This process is open to observers.

Local election officials may also choose to have a central tabulation facility on Election Day, rather than send early and absentee ballots to each polling place to be tabulated. At the central tabulation facility, ballots are tabulated by precinct and the totals for each precinct are added to the totals from the polling places.

No results can be totaled until 8 p.m. on Election Night, and therefore no counting takes place until polls have closed.

Election Night Reporting

The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office does not report unofficial election results, as local election officials are not required to report unofficial results to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections Division.

Local election officials do have arrangements with certain media organizations to provide unofficial election results on Election Night. The Associated Press has a long-standing relationship with the Massachusetts City and Town Clerks’ Associations to receive results from each city and town, and other organizations may have their own arrangements with individual election offices as well.

Election Night Results

Unofficial Results on Election Night will include the following:

• Ballots cast in person on Election Day

• Ballots cast in person during the Early Voting period

• Mail-in absentee and early ballots received on or before November 3rd

Local election officials have been instructed to total all of these results before reporting any unofficial results, so any results you see by precinct should be inclusive of all of the above ballots.

Late-arriving ballots that are postmarked by November 3rd and received by 5 p.m. on November 6th will be counted as part of a public tabulation session after 5 p.m. on November 6th.

Post-Election Results

This year, ballots can be counted if they have arrived at the local election office by 5 p.m. on November 6th and they have been postmarked by November 3rd. Local election officials must hold any domestically-mailed ballots received after Election Day to be counted after 5 p.m. on November 6th.

Local election officials may choose when to count these ballots, but the counting of the ballots must be done in public and the counting session must be posted at least 3 days in advance. This process is open to observers.

While each city and town may choose when to hold the counting session for post-election ballots, we expect most clerks will hold their counting sessions between Friday, November 6th and Monday, November 9th.

Before beginning the count of ballots, clerks must reference the voter lists from Election Day to check to see if any voters have already voted in person. Mail-in ballots received from voters who have already voted will be rejected.

Final Certification

Local election officials have up to 15 days to certify the results of a state election, after which the certified results are transmitted to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections Division. Final certification of results is done by the Governor and Council, at a meeting of the Governor’s Council after all results are compiled.