With Kentucky’s Republican caucus and Democratic primary on the horizon, students are focusing on their future and their voice.

Louisville junior Tierney Vogt, has been following the election but didn’t realize she had the option to vote while away at school.

“I had no idea that I was able to vote while I was in school,” Vogt said. “It’s not something I’ve ever really thought about, but now that I am, I should probably figure out how to do it.”

Sixty percent of the deciding vote for President Barack Obama’s re-election was from college-age voters, according to a poll conducted by Cornell University.

However, some students such as Howardstown sophomore Cora Cecil agree with Vogt in saying they are unclear about voting while in college.

“I need to go register; I just don’t know how to,” Cecil said. “No one has ever really explained it to me before.”

As it gets closer to time to vote for the presidency, students should be aware that even though they are in college and away from home, they can still have a voice when it comes to voting.

Students who have not registered to vote can do so by visiting the Warren County Clerk’s office, filling out a registration card and turning it back in. Another option is to go to the Warren County Clerk’s office website, download a form or request to have a voter registration mailed to you and turn it back in.

Warren County clerk Lynette Yates said more people should get out and vote because every vote matters.

“[Voting] is a way to change legislature, and this is your time and probably your only chance to get your voice heard,” Yates said. “It’s your civil responsibility to get out and vote.”

Kentucky will be holding its first Republican caucus on March 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time. The deadline to register as a Republican was Dec. 31, 2015.

Kentucky’s Democratic primary will be held May 17 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. The last day to register as a Democrat before the primary is April 18.

Students should be aware of other requirements they must meet before they can register and vote. Potential voters must be U.S. citizens and Kentucky residents for a minimum of 28 days prior to the election, and they must be 18 years old by the date of the next general election in November.

“I haven’t voted since I was able to vote, but I think I’m going to vote this year for the presidential election,” Hopkinsville junior Calvion Tandy said while working the desk in Pearce-Ford Tower’s lobby.

To vote, citizens must complete and have processed the voter registration form or necessary changes to a previous form by at least 28 days before Election Day. Once a registration card is submitted to the clerk’s office, it might take more than a week before it is processed, depending on demand.

For students who are registered somewhere other than in Warren County, it is possible to vote even if you can’t make it home on Election Day.

Kentucky.gov states that students away for school can submit an absentee ballot at least a week before the election. To request an absentee ballot, voters must contact the city clerk for their county and request a mailed application or pick it up in person at the clerk’s office. The application can be mailed back or hand-delivered by the voter. A third party may not deliver the ballot for you.

Students can also vote early by machine if they are in their registered county 12 or more working days before the election and will be out of the county on Election Day. Contact your county clerk’s office for dates and hours of absentee voting in your county.