On March 3, Americans across the country will take to the polls to vote in their respective primary. These elections will determine the candidates for both major parties.

This day, known as Super Tuesday, is when most states hold their primary elections for potential presidential nominees. Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia all participate in Super Tuesday.

“Super Tuesday is the biggest day for primary voting,” said Maddie Vargas, sophomore political science major. “The primaries will determine who will be the Democratic and Republican nominee for president.”

Vargas, director of external affairs for the Student Government Association, said the primaries are important because the results show who the people want to represent their party.

“You can vote on March 3, Super Tuesday, but I would suggest early voting,” Vargas said. “Early voting starts Feb. 13 and goes until Feb. 29.”

Vargas said early voting will have shorter lines and won’t take as long as voting on Super Tuesday.

Same-day voter registration is available at the early voting sites. 

“There are no voter IDs required for this primary,” Vargas said. “You just go in, say your name and vote.”

Vargas said students may be turned away from the polls if the information on their voter registration is wrong or if they aren’t registered to vote.

“If you are turned away, Election Protection will be outside,” said Vargas. “These people are there to help you for any reason.”

Election Protection is a group of nonpartisan voting rights activists. They make sure every American has the opportunity to vote. Vargas said if you are turned away, ask for an absentee ballot.

“I think voting in this primary would show what the younger generation wants,” Vargas said. “I think this is a big way for our voices to be heard.”

Vargas said students should research the candidates before voting because this election could be a turning point in American history.

“Commonly, students dismiss wanting to get involved with anything political. However, it is super important for everyone to vote and know who they’re voting for based on policies,” Haleigh Eubanks, sophomore public relations major, wrote in an email.

Eubanks, a member of App State College Democrats, wrote that students will soon break out into the real world, where politics is abundantly significant to their everyday lives.

“It is super important for students to vote seeing as most students will be out of college before the next election,” Eubanks wrote.

Eubanks wrote that Super Tuesday is important because it collects the largest number of votes, which significantly affects the nomination process.

River Collins, president of App State College Republicans, wrote in an email that 

voting is a great way to get involved and influence the nation’s political future.

Regardless of political affiliations, voting during this primary is important for the future of the US.

 “I believe that voting is a tool that you can use to get things done,” said Korbin Cummings, junior political science major. “It’s like building a house; you can’t build a house without a hammer, and voting is like the hammer.”

Cummings said that Super Tuesday falls on the anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage March.

The Women’s Suffrage March of 1913 was the first public service action Cummings’ sorority’s founders were a part of. Cummings is the secretary for Rho Theta, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. 

Rho Theta is hosting an event, Party at the Polls, on the March 3 anniversary.

“We’ll be having a party, a nonpartisan event, where people can get information on voting, learn where to vote, how to vote and how they can have more fun with the voting process,” Cummings said.

Cummings said the event should help people get excited about the day and encourage more people to vote.

“I think the biggest misconception about voting is that it’s boring, and that it’s not fun,” Cummings said. “We’re just trying to add more fun to it.”

Party at the Polls takes place March 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Reich College of Education Room 127AB. Early voting is in the Blue Ridge Ballroom in Plemmons Student Union from Feb. 13 – Feb. 29 from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day except Feb. 29, when the polls close at 3 p.m.