Election season is right around the corner, and for Fort Lewis students, 2024 is shaping up to be a big year. 

To cover the election cycle, The Independent will be conducting a four-part series about student attitudes and feelings towards ballot issues and elections. 

Paul DeBell, an associate professor of political science and the faculty advisor for the Political Engagement Project, or PEP, spoke with The Indy to cover what students should know about the upcoming election. 

PEP is a nonpartisan student-led club on campus that seeks to inform and include students on political discussions, DeBell said. 

DeBell outlined three important things that students should be aware of. 

Firstly, students have the right to cast their ballot here in La Plata County, but this might not always be the best option, DeBell said.

“Maybe you get benefits based upon being a resident of another state, like the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend, or maybe a scholarship from the state of Oklahoma,” DeBell said.

In these circumstances, it is recommended to cast the ballot or keep residency from the state a student is originally from, DeBell said. 

Next, if every student voted, their vote would be incredibly powerful, DeBell said. 

“It's a numbers game,” DeBell said.“It's a turnout game. If youth turn out, the youth vote will be determinative of elections at every level of the ballot.” 

According to The National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, 30.8% of Fort Lewis Voters voted in 2022. 

The study tracks voting habits from numerous colleges across the country, and tracks demographics such as race, academic major, and age. 

Generation Z turns out in lower numbers, DeBell said.

Finally, every student should understand what issues people are voting on this year, DeBell said. 

“Whatever you care about, it is on the ballot in some way,” DeBell said. “Whatever your values are, it is definitely implicated in our elections this year.”

DeBell’s final piece of advice was for students to get out and begin this process of voting early.

“Go ahead and knock this out, and then you can have that great sense of self satisfaction that you did your part,” DeBell said.

For more information on voting at FLC, students should visit vote.gov or speak with a member of PEP, DeBell said.