Voting is the fuel that powers the American political machine, and with many students on campus experiencing their first active election cycle, it’s important to understand how to participate and make their voices heard.

The litany of information disseminated by the media and other sources can often be confusing. This election cycle, The Daily Beacon is dedicated to breaking through the red tape and political jargon for both in-state and out-of-state students.

Students who are Tennessee residents have a relatively simple voter registration process. There is the option to register online or print out the form and mail it to their county election commission. Alternatively, the form can be picked up in person at county election commission offices, county clerk’s offices, public libraries or the Register of Deeds offices.

However, registration deadlines are approaching fast. The deadline to register to vote online in Tennessee is Oct. 7, and the deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29. The ballot must be returned by Nov. 5 to be counted.

Out-of-state students, who account for 10,846 of the 19,633 students admitted this semester, must undergo a more complicated process that can differ based on their states of residence.

Devon Meidl, a senior accounting major from Manhattan Beach, California, spoke about her experience registering to vote as an out-of-state student.

“I wasn’t exactly sure how I would be able to vote in the election as this would be my first time voting. I registered to vote when I turned 21, but I wasn’t sure of the next steps,” Meidl said.

The Vols Vote Coalition is an on-campus organization dedicated to educating students like Meidl on how to register to vote.

Sophia Milen, a senior studying political science and social media, is a member of the coalition’s executive board and spoke about why it’s important to reach out-of-state students and what they can do to get prepared.

“Out-of-state students make up a substantial portion of our student population — roughly 36% — (and) that’s why we keep them in consideration when promoting how to register to vote and how to vote as part of our Vols Vote initiative,” Milen said.

Vols Vote has partnered with TurboVote to promote registration across states in their Tennessee versus Florida voting competition. TurboVote helps out-of-state students find voting information about their home states.

Out-of-state students will first want to check the voter registration deadline in their states. These deadlines can range from a month before an election to the day of, so it is imperative that students know when their state’s deadline is as we barrel toward the national election. The political organization Headcount provides a database that can be used to find these dates.

The next step out-of-state students should take is to fill out a voter registration form.

Most states allow people to register to vote online. Students can visit vote.gov to view a comprehensive list of registration methods in each state. Alternatively, the National Mail Voter Registration Form is a federal document that can be printed and mailed to state election offices. This form is accepted by all states except New Hampshire, North Dakota and Wyoming.

When registering, out-of-state students should list their hometown address as the permanent address and their Knoxville address as the mailing address. Out-of-state students who won’t be able to go back home to vote will need the mail-in ballots that many states provide automatically or upon request when registering.

The National Association of Secretaries of State has created a database that can be used to find the different regulations over absentee ballots for each state.

Finally, out-of-state students can either return home to vote in person on election day or — if that is not possible — fill out their mail-in ballots and ship them back to their local election offices in time for the election.

Students with further questions about registration or voting can email [email protected].