How FLC Students Prepared for the Midterm Elections

Kimberly Cassels

Fort Lewis College students who voted in the midterm elections shared how they gathered information about candidates, amendments and proposals prior to casting their vote.

Many students used Google and the election booklets but also conversed with friends and faculty to educate themselves before casting their votes.

CNN and NPR were online sources that FLC Will Berger used.

Matt Kolbe, a sophomore, used the midterm booklet he received in the mail and the Durango Herald to stay informed on amendments and candidates, he said. Kolbe also talked with friends about the election and used Google to find additional information while he was voting.

Natasha Kleiner, a sophomore from the G-Spot, said the volunteers at the voting booths helped him understand the proposals on the ballot. He also utilized their free ride to the polls.

Sophomores Emily Zimmerer and Kendra Mahkewa used friends and family as resources to gain knowledge about the midterm elections.   

Shawvan Levi, a political science major, not only searched the internet and spoke with his family and friends to gather information about the election, but also utilized the 2016 election to gauge and assess candidates and amendments, he said.  

A philosophy major, Abigayle White, was inspired to vote and informed through social media videos, along with television and Youtube commercials about the midterm elections, she said.

Some students found that faculty members were helpful resources. Talulah Gilroy, a journalism major, said Sarah Flower explained the amendments’ opposing sides to her.

Chad Myron, an exercise physiology major from Arizona, used The Gallup Independent and talked with professor Janine Fitzgerald as well as his grandparents to gain election information, he said.