Editor’s note: This article is the first of a series on the 2012 candidates for the Presidential election.

With nationwide primaries and caucuses in full-swing, the pressure to register, research and vote is building among college students.

Louisiana primaries to vote for the Presidential nominee will be held on March 24. Early voting for this primary is from March 10 to 17.

Rusty Thysell, government and social sciences professor, said students should vote because it is their right and responsibility. He explained that through the process, students can experience the effects of democracy.

“Even though we are far removed from the process, if enough people come together, we can get things done,” Thysell said. “In most elections, it comes down to the lesser of two evils and a gut feeling.”

Alexander Bernard, athletic training junior from Marrero, said he plans to vote in the Presidential election in November.

“I think this election will definitely be a turning point for America, both domestically and abroad,” Bernard said. “I personally feel that most students have a lot to say about how things are run but never want to do anything about it. If we are ever going to make an impact, we have to do it where it counts—at the polls in November.”

Britney Westmond, business sophomore from Houma, said she does not usually vote.

“I think that just as it is our right to vote, it is also our right not to vote,” Westmond said. “I would never comment to others about the government or its decisions either. If you do not vote, you do not have a right to complain about what the voters choose.”

The 57th United States Presidential election will be held on Nov. 6, with emphasis on the incumbent, President Barack Obama, as the Democratic nominee against an undetermined Republican candidate.

Republican nomination candidates include Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich.

Mitt Romney, 64, is currently leading the primary polls. He served as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and ran for the Republican nomination in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, but ultimately lost the nomination to John McCain.

Rick Santorum, 68, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district in 1990. In 1994, he was elected a U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania, where he served until losing his re-election bid in 2006.

Ron Paul, 76, has been the U.S. Representative for Texas’ 14th congressional district since 1997. He has campaigned for the Presidential nomination three times, as a Libertarian in 1988 and as a Republican in 2008 and 2012.

Newt Gingrich, 53, served as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. He also represented Georgia’s sixth congressional district as a Republican from 1979 until his resignation in 1999.

The state-level primaries and caucuses jumpstarted the Presidential election on Jan. 3 in Iowa and will continue until June 5 in Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota.

According to Thysell, primaries and caucuses determine the favored nomination candidate among voters and the delegates, who will go to the Republican and Democratic Party conventions to actually vote for the candidate.

The Republican and Democratic Party conventions, held Aug. 27 to 30 in Tampa Bay, Fla., and Sept. 3 to 6 in Charlotte, N.C., conclude the five-month nomination process.

Applicants can register to vote in the Colonel Card Office, at a Registrar Voter Office or at various government offices in Louisiana. Applicants can also apply online to register to vote or change registration details at www.geauxvote.com.

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State website, if the applicant registers in person at a parish Registrar of Voters Office, the applicant is required to prove age, residency and identity. A current Louisiana driver’s license, birth certificate or other documentation that reasonably and sufficiently establishes your identity, age and residency can be used.

Registration must be completed 30 days before an upcoming election to be eligible to vote in that particular election. Voters must also re-register after moving to a new parish.

Voters can determine where to report to vote by using the Louisiana Voter Portal online or by calling the Registrar of Voters Office in their particular parish.

Students may use a home residence address within the state or a school address for voter registration purposes. Out-of-state students are allowed to use their school address in Louisiana if they want to be a voter in this state.

Students, instructors or professors located and living outside the parish of registration are eligible to vote absentee by mail.